


Summer Leaves

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead, haikyuuliberos



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Seijou!Hinata, Shiratorizawa!Kageyama, eventual OiHina probably, the Seijou!Hinata au everyone needs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 05:26:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead, https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikyuuliberos/pseuds/haikyuuliberos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So you want to defeat Tobio-chan?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why are you so interested in the short kid, anyway?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's been wondering why I haven't been updating Wingbeats or Ogygia, this is why. Also, there will be no death in this fic, I swear. This is a nice AU. Enjoy without fear.  
> -All_My_Characters_Are_Dead

“If you’re the king that rules the court, then I’ll defeat you! I’ll be the one that stands on the court the longest!” Hinata shouted, staring down at the setter whose team had just crushed Hinata’s dreams. The setter glared back up at him.

“The only ones who remain on the court are the winners and the strong. If you want to win, then you’ll have to get stronger,” the setter snapped. For a long moment, they stared each other down. Then Kageyama seemed to notice someone standing above Hinata on the steps, huffed angrily, and turned. A moment later, he was gone.

“So you want to defeat Tobio-chan?” Hinata whirled, and his teammates, who had been standing by nervously as Hinata yelled at the setter, jumped. The speaker, several steps above where Hinata stood, studied him thoughtfully.

“Who’s-”

“Kageyama Tobio. He's the genius setter you just promised to defeat,” the speaker explained. “And you've got potential, but you obviously haven't had any real training. You should come train with my team. You might even get good enough to be accepted to my high school.”

“I already know where I'm going to high school,” Hinata replied. “I'm going to Karasuno.” The high schooler tilted his head.

“You should still come to our practices and get a better understanding of the basics,” he insisted. Hinata glanced at his friends.  His friends shuddered as the stranger towered over the three of them.  Angry tears left over from his defeat and then his brief confrontation with his opponents’ setter dried on Hinata’s cheeks as his brown eyes sparkled with fascination.

“And… where do you play?” Hinata’s voice quivered nervously.

“Aoba Jousai.”  Hinata’s head spun, taking in the information.  The stranger loomed over him with fluffy brown hair, framing his face.  Clever brown eyes danced with amusement and a knowing smirk sat on his lips.  Another high schooler, shorter than the stranger, stood behind him but looked equally, if not _more_ , intimidating.

“Ao… Aoba Jousai?” Hinata murmured, before aggressively shaking his head.  “No, I can’t!  The Little Giant went to Karasuno!”

‘The ‘Little Giant?” the high schooler repeated, sounding intrigued.  “Well, you can try, but not by yourself.  Why don’t you come practice with us a few times, get a feel for the school and the team?” Hinata hesitated. “Here, give me your email, and I’ll send you the information,” the high schooler offered.

“I don’t even know your name,” Hinata pointed out.

“I’m Oikawa Tooru, Aoba Jousai’s setter and captain,” the high schooler told him, grinning. “Here. I’ll give you my email instead, and you can let me know if you make up your mind.” Hinata blinked, and Oikawa grabbed his hand, pulled a pen out of his pocket, and wrote on the back of Hinata’s hand.  Hinata tensed as Oikawa grabbed his hand and quickly scribbled his email, having to redo a few of the letters because the ink didn’t write well on skin.

“Well, I hope to hear from you,” Oikawa began to turn away from Hinata, looking over his shoulder.  “It was entertaining to watch you play.”  As quickly as the setter had shown up had he disappeared, leaving Hinata looking at his hand with a mixture of awe and confusion.

“Sho-chan!” Izumi’s voice snapped Hinata out of his mess of thoughts.  “What just happened?!”

“I… I don’t know,” Hinata stuttered, before flushing.  “A school’s setter just told me he wanted _me_ to come to their open gyms!”

“Shoyou, that’s awesome!” Sekimukai grinned.

“Yeah, but…” Hinata trailed off, the smile on his face disappearing.  “I want to go to Karasuno.”

“Why?  Aren’t they not very good?” Izumi furrowed his eyebrows.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Hinata mumbled.  They had been to _nationals_ , they had to be pretty good!

“Shoyou, I would think about it,” Sekimukai shrugged.  “It’s totally your choice, but the fact that the setter and _captain_ of another team would want you to come to their school definitely means something!”

“I guess you’re right,” Hinata frowned slightly, as the group began to walk quietly to their bus.

* * *

 

Oikawa walked over to the railing and leaned against it, resting his head on his hand.  His eyes scanned the gymnasium until they landed on his kouhai, who was setting to his team.

“Ah, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa sang.  “There’s little Tobio-chan.”  His companion, Iwaizumi, walked over next to Oikawa and began looking around the gymnasium.  Kageyama tossed a ball to one of the wing-spikers, but it was very fast and low, so the hitter nearly missed the ball.  Kageyama began yelling at the hitter and the two observants pursed their lips.

“Just as aggressive as we thought,” Iwaizumi sighed, shaking his head.

“Mhm.”  Oikawa paused and leaned a little farther forward to look at the team Kitagawa Daiichi would be facing off against.  6 tiny teenagers - well, they could hardly be considered teenagers - stood on the other side of the net.  They looked even smaller compared to all the Kitagawa Daiichi players, who stood at 165 centimeters or above.  “They’re going to get destroyed.”

“It’s sad, really,” Iwaizumi commented.  Iwaizumi turned his head before nudging Oikawa in the side with his elbow.  “Trashykawa, is that…?”  Oikawa looked in the same direction as his friend, his eyes meeting the sight of a familiar setter with light blonde hair and dark tips, who was sitting in a seat with a notebook.

“Semi Eita,” Oikawa scoffed.  “He must be scouting for Shiratorizawa.  He’s their setter...well, not this year, because of that first year they had.”

“Shirabu, right?”

“I think so.  I don’t really care, though, because they both piss me off.”  Oikawa quit his complaining once he realized the match before them was starting.  He watched as Kitagawa served the ball, and the tiny 6-player team shanked the ball right off the bat, earning Seijou’s feeder school the point.  “This is awful to watch.”

“We might as well wait and come back later, once they’re playing a worthy team.” Iwaizumi began to walk away; Oikawa followed him more slowly, watching as the green team passed the ball and somehow got it in the general direction of the setter.  The obviously inexperienced setter tossed to an orange-haired hitter, who took and approach and… _flew_.  Oikawa made an inhuman sound and whipped around, clinging to the rail, as he watched the player soar through the air.  However, he tragically got blocked.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called loudly, a few other viewers turning their attention to him.  Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes and gave Oikawa a questioning look.  “Come back here.”

“Why?  This game isn’t worth watching.”

“That orange haired… number 1,” Oikawa was almost breathless.  “You should’ve seen his vertical!”

“You must be high.”

“I’m serious!  Just wait!”  Oikawa watched the game intently as the ball was served again: the receive was worse than the one before, but the setter sent it back to number 1.  The small wing spiker leapt into the air, with height that seemed even _greater_ than before, and hit the ball.  The block sent the ball straight back into the ground, but Oikawa’s fascination saw past the lost point.

“Isn’t that amazing?!” Oikawa gaped, turning to face Iwaizumi.

“It’s impressive” Iwaizumi answered.  “But not ideal.”

“It doesn’t have to be ideal,” Oikawa countered. “Geniuses are ideal. He just has to have potential.”

“He’d be better off as a libero because he’s so short,” Iwaizumi muttered.

“You’re short,” Oikawa teased.  Iwaizumi glared at Oikawa before his eyes refocused on the court.

“Another crappy receive, they send it to that number 1, and… he gets blocked again.”  Iwaizumi shook his head, disappointed.  “I’m telling you, we should come back and watch Kageyama during an _intense_ game.  This is like playing a group of 4 year olds.”

“What if… what if I don’t want to watch _Tobio-chan_?” Oikawa pouted.

“No, Crappykawa,” Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa’s sleeve.  “We’re not watching the orange-hair kid.”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa wailed, yanking his arm out of Iwaizumi’s grip.  The two stared at each other, one with a disapproving expression and the other with pleading.  Although no more words were exchanged between the two, they stayed and watched the painful match continue.

It was even worse than the two could have imagined.  The first set ended tragically with a score of 25-5, the green-jersey team winning only from the minimal mistakes Kitagawa Daiichi made.  The players were laughing and pointing at their miniscule opponents, and even random members from the crowd were throwing comments around about how pitiful the team was.

“Oikawa, I’m telling you, this is a _waste of time_ ,” Iwaizumi groaned.

“Give this kid a chance, why don’t you?” Oikawa replied snappily.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so enthusiastic for another player.”

“Hmph.”  The two happened to divert their attention back to the game at the most ideal moment.  The green team managed to get a receive right to the setter, but the setter messed up the toss in the worst way possible: the ball flew behind his head, with no hitter in sight.

“Oh.  My.  God.”  Iwaizumi face-palmed.

“Wait!”  Oikawa grabbed his companion’s wrist, forcing him to look back at the court.  The orange-haired wing spiker sprinted across the court with incredible speed and leapt into the air, his arms positioned perfectly; the kid really seemed to be flying.  A gasp ran through the crowd as he hit the ball down the sideline, one of the Kitagawa Daiichi players throwing themself at the ball but to no avail.

“Wow!” Oikawa leaned almost too-far over the railing, until Iwaizumi pulled him back.

“But wait.”  Iwaizumi gestured to the line judges and the referee, who had called the ball out of bounds.  The hope that had made its way into Oikawa’s chest suddenly vanished, and he frowned slightly.

“Damn.”

The second set of the match finished badly, but not _as_ horribly as the first set, with a score of 25-8.  The two teams thanked each other for the game, and began to disperse among themselves.  Iwaizumi walked away, and Oikawa jogged after him.  Dislike roughly rested on Iwaizumi’s countenance as Oikawa stole a glance.

“Why are you so interested in the short kid, anyway?” Iwaizumi sighed. “It would take a miracle to even get him accepted to the school, let alone on the first or second string of players.”

“You saw his raw physical ability,” Oikawa replied. “But he isn’t on the level of a genius. I want to hone his talent, see if I can bring out his potential.” Iwaizumi just raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing that was the end of it. Oikawa sighed and admitted, “There’s just something about him, okay? You saw the way he kept encouraging his team, how he didn’t give up even when it was clear how outmatched he was by Tobio-chan’s team. I want to try tossing to him, even if it’s just once.” Iwaizumi shook his head.

“I agree he’s got spirit, but you’re already pushing yourself trying to get our team in shape to beat Shiratorizawa,” he pointed out.  Their chatter continued as they walked away, becoming faint and distant, but a particular setter had heard it all.  Semi Eita clicked the pen in his hand and folded his small notebook shut, standing up, and made his way over to the stairs.

Even though he had only seen the disastrous match that day, Semi had been tracking Kitagawa Daiichi’s setter for a while.  He had been showing up to tournaments for the past few weeks and leaving his own practices early so he could attend theirs, to study the genius setter.

He didn’t really need to go to his own practice, anyways.  It wasn’t like he was going to start or be in a match, ever since that first-year had stepped into the gym and became Ushijima’s favorite.  Shirabu Kenjirou’s play style seemed to be sculpted around Ushijima, Shiratorizawa’s ace; he would relentlessly give the left-handed hitter sets until the other team was forced into submission and defeat, just like the school’s motto, “Intense Force.”  Semi shook thoughts of Ushijima and Shirabu away; he had a goal for the day, and he was going to focus on that.  He found his way into the main level of the gymnasium, his eyes scanning the many players in the vicinity, until they landed on a black-haired setter.

“Kageyama Tobio, right?” The young setter blinked at the high schooler who’d approached him after the match against the team with the little spiker who’d jumped and jumped until Kageyama thought the orange-haired boy would fly away. The newcomer was wearing Shiratorizawa athletic clothing.

“You’re from Shiratorizawa,” Kageyama blurted out.

“I am. My name is Semi Eita, and I’m the reserve setter and pinch server for Shiratorizawa right now,” the high schooler answered with a quick smile. “You applied to Shiratorizawa, right?” Kageyama nodded, watching Semi nervously. “Keep winning like this, and I bet the coach will recruit you for sure.” Kageyama’s whole face lit up. One of his teammates snorted incredulously, having overheard their conversation.

“Keep playing like that, and you won’t have a team to win with,” Kageyama’s teammate grumbled, hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder and then stalking away. Semi raised an eyebrow. He knew the genius setter didn’t get along well with his teammates, but Semi was sure that a few weeks at the intense practices at Shiratorizawa, with the constant threat of being replaced, would knock the middle schooler down the peg or two he needed to grow.

* * *

 

On the bus back to school, Hinata stared at the email address scrawled on his hand.

“You know, you won’t be abandoning the team if you go practice with that high school,” Izumi murmured, noticing what had gotten Hinata’s attention. Hinata jumped guiltily, then shrugged.

“I already decided to go to Karasuno for high school,” he said. “Why bother going to practices at a school that I’m not going to go to?”

“Because it’ll be good practice,” Izumi answered. “Shouyou, you know none of us are good enough to help you improve. Even if you don’t go to high school there, it’ll be good for you to practice with high schoolers.” Hinata stared at his friend for a moment, and Izumi met his gaze steadily, encouragement and something that might have been regret in his expression. “At least put the address in your phone.” Hinata nodded slowly, then pulled out his phone and saved the high schooler’s - Oikawa’s, he reminded himself - contact information. “Think about it, okay?”

“I will,” Hinata assured him. And deep down, he knew Izumi was right. Hinata and the other third years were supposed to retire from the club after this tournament anyway. It would make sense to take advantage of the opportunity to practice with a high school team. And Oikawa had said that he should go to the practices even if he didn’t end up attending Aoba Jousai. Hinata stared at his phone screen for a moment, debating. Then he sent a short email before he could rethink his decision.

 

To: oikawat@gmail.com

Subject: practice

 

When and where?

 


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re that player! From the team we beat 25-5!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnd we're back with another chapter of Seijou!Hinata for your enjoyment!  
> A quick note: WE LOVE COMMENTS AND WILL SQUEAL HAPPILY AND MAYBE CRY A BIT OVER THEM SO PLEASE LEAVE THEM FOR US. Even if it's just a quick "good job" we will love you forever.  
> -All_My_Characters_Are_Dead

Hinata stared at the gym in front of him, listening to the sound of shoes squeaking and volleyballs pounding on the floor as they were spiked.  His feet seemed glued to the floor as his breath caught in his throat, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds.  Even though it was just a gymnasium, it meant so much more to him.

Hinata forced his feet forward and walked into the gym: it was larger than he expected, with two volleyball nets set up and bleachers surrounding the courts.  The players on the courts quieted down and caught the balls, turning to face him.  Hinata’s stomach twisted nervously as he grabbed it, trying not to hunch over too much.

“Ah, Hinata-kun!” a familiar voice called from the opposite side.  Hinata’s stomach settled slightly when he looked up, Oikawa crossing the gym with haste in his step.  “We were expecting you!”

“I did e-mail you, after all,” Hinata replied.

“Of course,” Oikawa rested his hand on Hinata’s shoulder and walked him towards the locker room, walking through a set of doors.  “Are you ready to train?”

“Of course!”

“Great!” the setter grinned.  “Since the third-years, well, soon-to-be first years, from Kitagawa Daiichi are joining us as well, we’ll just be working on basics today.”

“The other players are here?!” Hinata paled.

“Of course!  They’re going to be attending, so why not come?” Oikawa’s eyes glimmered as he gazed upon Hinata.

“Oh, um-”

“I know they beat you recently,” Oikawa turned away, raising his hand.  “But if we’re going to be a team, you must learn to get along with  _ everyone _ .”

“I haven’t even decided where I’m going for high school,” Hinata said.

“I’m aware of that… but if we like what we see, you should definitely apply here.”

“I’ll… think about it.”

“Alright,” Oikawa sighed in mock-defeat.  “Get changed and then meet us out here for warm-ups.”  Hinata nodded his head eagerly and took his tennis shoes off, digging his kneepads and volleyball shoes out from his bag and slipping them on quickly.  He hobbled towards the door as he adjusted the shoe on his foot, before jogging out.  The team whipped their heads around as they stared at him.

“Wait a minute,” one of the players narrowed his eyes.  Hinata recognized him as one of the players on the Kitagawa Daiichi team, the one with tall, black hair.  “You’re  _ that _ player!  From the team we beat 25-5!”

“Hey!”

“Why are you here?” the player accused, folding his arms.  The rest of the players had surrounded the two first-years to-be, edging towards the Kitagawa Daiichi  player.

“Now, now,” Oikawa intervened, stepping between the two.  “This is Hinata… Shoyou, and he is going to be practicing with us until school starts.”

“Is he attending?” a tall player with pink hair questioned.

“He’s undecided,” Oikawa quickly answered before Hinata could say anything.  “But we-”

“You.”  Hinata turned to see the player that had been with Oikawa the last time he talked to Hinata.  “This was-”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa snapped.  The player seemed surprised, before he narrowed his eyes.  “We want to see what we are dealing with here, and why not invite him to join us with our summer training?”

“Well, the point is,” ‘Iwa-chan’ continued on.  “I take no credit for this idea.”

“And you don’t have to,” the setter shrugged.  “ _ Anyways _ , this is Hinata Shoyou.”

“Hello,” Hinata squeaked.

“Why don’t we go around and introduce ourselves, say what position, and what year we will be?” Oikawa suggested.  “I’m Oikawa Tooru, I’m a setter, captain-to-be, and I will be a third year.  Next?”   
“I’m Hanamaki Takahiro,” the pink-haired player grinned.  “I’m a wing-spiker, and I’ll be a third-year.”  A black-haired player raised his hand a waved lightly.

“I’m  _ Meme _ sukawa-”

“Why?” the group of players unanimously groaned.

“Mattsun,  _ no _ ,” Oikawa added.

“Fine,” the player pouted.  “I’m Matsukawa Issei, I’m a middle blocker and I’m going to be a third year.”

The spiky-haired player that Oikawa seemed to be friends with stepped forward slightly.  “I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, and I’m a wing spiker.  I’ll be a third year.”

“I’m Yahaba Shigeru.  I’m a setter and will be a second year , ” another player, with light brown hair, introduced himself.

“I’m Watari Shinji,” a player with short black hair smiled.  “I ’m will be a second year and I’m a libero.”

“I’m Kunimi Akira,” a player sighed.  Hinata recognized him as another one of the Kitagawa Daiichi players, with black hair parted in the middle and light brown eyes.  “I’ll be a first year and I’m a wing-spiker.”

“I’m Kindaichi Yuutarou,” the next player said crisply.  “I’m a middle blocker and will be a first year as well.”

“Well, now that we’ve finished with that,” Oikawa began.  “Let’s split up and start with a basic drill.  3 receivers will be back here-” the setter gestured to one side of the court.  “Yahaba and I will switch out setting, and then there will be a spiker waiting to hit the ball over.  After you receive, you go to hit, then you go to serve, then you go back to pass.  Does that make sense?”

“Yes!” the team shouted.

“Alright, let’s split up,” Oikawa nodded his head.  Hinata was waiting in line to pass the ball and watched in awe as one of the players - Matsukawa, maybe? - served the ball to the near side.  Watari received the ball, and it flew right into Oikawa’s hands.  Hinata’s jaw dropped as he watched Iwaizumi spike the ball down the sideline, hitting a straight.

“Oh!” Hinata gasped.

“Chibi-chan!” the player behind him pushed him forward gently.  Hinata spun around, angered by the nickname, but his rage dissolved when he saw it was the pink-haired third year.  “Your turn!”  Hinata nodded too-quickly and stepped onto the court nervously.  Kunimi, on the other side, tossed the ball into the air and served it.  The ball flew with medium velocity towards Hinata, who furrowed his brows in concentration and brought his arms up to meet the ball.  However, the ball hit the side of his arm and flew off in the opposite direction, the rest of Aoba Jousai staring in surprise.

After one look at Hinata’s miserable receive, Watari accosted him and hauled him off for receiving practice, despite Hinata’s very vocal objections and pleas to do spiking practice instead. Kindaichi opened his mouth to comment, but Oikawa cut him off before he could say anything.

“Kin-chan, your receives need a little work, too, so why don’t you join them?” Oikawa asked, smiling sweetly despite the dangerous glint in his eyes. Kindaichi scurried over to join Watari and Hinata. 

“I don’t know what Oikawa sees in you,” Kindaichi grumbled. Hinata bristled. 

“Well, I don’t know what you see in that hair of yours,  _ Kin-chan _ ,” Yahaba replied, walking up just in time to hear Kindaichi’s comment. “I’ll help out with receiving, since Oikawa wants to practice combos with Iwaizumi-senpai and the others.” Kindaichi frowned at Yahaba when he added, “Hinata-kun, for every five successful receives you make, I’ll toss to you once.” Hinata brightened and turned to Watari.

“Let’s go!” he exclaimed. Watari shook his head but went to retrieve a volleyball from the bin. Kindaichi snickered at Hinata’s first attempt to receive the ball - Hinata himself wasn’t sure how the ball managed to bounce between his forehead and his arms twice before it flew off to the side - until Yahaba retrieved the ball and served it toward Watari, who passed it to Kindaichi, who was completely unprepared and had to dodge with a yelp.

“Until you can handle a ball like that without a problem, no snickering at Hinata,” Watari announced. Kindaichi stared at him for a second. 

“But-”

“Oikawa-senpai will tell you himself at length if he thinks you’re making fun of a weaker teammate, but we’re all on the same side,” Yahaba said firmly. “We need to work together and support each other. Teasing and banter is one thing, but if you’re constantly saying you don’t see any value in one of your teammates, and laughing at them when they make a mistake on top of that, then I’m pretty sure Oikawa will tell you that there’s no place on this team for that kind of attitude.” Kindaichi frowned. “Your team rejected your setter because he wasn’t being a team player, right?” Kindaichi looked away and nodded. “Well, keep that in mind.” 

“You rejected your setter?” Hinata repeated, turning his attention to Kindaichi just as Watari tried to pass the ball to him. The ball bounced off his shoulder. Watari sighed and caught it, resigned to the fact that they weren’t going to get much done with Hinata distracted. “Why would you reject him? Didn’t you call him the King of the Court?”

“That’s  _ why _ we rejected him,” Kindaichi snapped. Hinata blinked and tilted his head. 

“I thought he was called that because he was so good,” he objected. 

“We called him that because he’s a ruthless dictator, an arrogant king,” Kindaichi growled. “He put his tosses wherever he wanted us to go without caring about whether or not we could actually get there, and then blamed us for not being fast enough or jumping high enough.” Hinata frowned and stared at the volleyball Watari was holding. 

“My team didn’t have a lot of training,” Hinata said quietly. “But we worked together and we tried our best, and didn’t blame each other for mistakes. It was really fun. Even though we lost, we did it together. That’s what a team is supposed to be, right?” Kindaichi stared at Hinata like he’d never seen him before. 

“Exactly,” Yahaba agreed. He started to suggest they get back to practice, but Kindaichi held out a hand to Hinata. Hinata stared at him, then hesitantly clasped his hand. 

“I don’t know if practicing here will help you get better at all, but at least you know what a team is supposed to be,” Kindaichi decided.  Hinata was caught between wanting to protest that he  _ would _ get better and being happy that Kindaichi seemed to have acknowledged him. 

“I’m glad you two are working your problems out,” Watari approved.  “But you need to work on your receiving, too.  Get over there and get ready to pass the ball!”  The two first years nodded their heads before jogging a few meters away from Watari, who held the ball out in front of him.  Yahaba stood at the net where the setter would normally be.

“You’re going to receive the ball and try to get it to me,” Yahaba explained.  “We’ll go through this for a while, so keep track of how many sets you’ll have by the end of it, okay?”

“Okay!” Hinata and Kindaichi yelled.

“Alright, Hinata-kun,” Watari tossed the ball into the air and hit it towards Hinata, who panicked slightly and  and  flinched.  The ball awkwardly hit his wrist and bounced into the air, landing a few steps in front of him.  “Next time,” Watari paused and got into the proper form to show Hinata.  “Keep your arms farther away from your body and stay lower, keeping your feet on the ground.  Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,” Hinata nodded his head slowly, copying his senpai.

“Great!  Go again.”  Watari grabbed another ball and tossed it into the air, hitting the ball in Hinata’s direction.  He passed the ball on his forearms, and he beamed when he saw the ball go up into the air.

“There you go,” Yahaba praised.

“Just drop your shoulders to face the setter,” Watari added, coming to stand next to Hinata.  “Wherever you are on the court, when you’re receiving a ball, you want your shoulders and forearms to be angled towards the setter.”

“Alright!”

“Kindaichi-kun, you’re up,” Yahaba said.

“Oh, no,” Kindaichi made a face, his nose scrunching and the corners of his mouth turning down, and squatted down slightly, getting into the proper receiving position.  Hinata couldn’t help bursting out laughing as his long legs bent awkwardly and unsteadily.

“Kindaichi,” Watari covered his mouth politely to refrain from laughing.

“I’m not a good receiver!” Kindaichi stood back up straight.  “I’m too tall to receive!”

“Nobody is too tall to receive!” Yahaba disagreed.  “Players who are 200 centimeters should be able to pass a ball!”  Kindaichi huffed and lowered himself to the ground, keeping his arms away from his body.

“That’s better,” Watari tossed the ball into the air and hit it at Kindaichi, who passed the ball pretty close to Yahaba.  “See?  That was a decent pass!  Just angle your arms, like I told Hinata-kun.”

“Yes!” Kindaichi whooped, pumping his fist.

“Let’s not get cocky now,” Yahaba teased.  “Get some passes to me and maybe you guys will be able to hit a few!”

After around 30 minutes of receiving balls, Hinata had accumulated 5 hits and Kindaichi 7 hits.  Watari brought the ball cart to the middle of the court as Yahaba stood close to the net.  Kindaichi was waiting to hit the ball, Hinata behind him.

“Hey, can I block?” Matsukawa jogged over, standing on the opposite side.

“Sure,” Yahaba shrugged.  The middle smirked, preparing to block.  Watari threw the ball to Yahaba, who set it to Kindaichi.  The tall first-year approached to hit the ball and leapt into the air, higher than Hinata had remembered.  Matsukawa seemed surprised as well but went up to block anyways, but Kindaichi managed to hit it past him.

“Nice kill!” Watari called, tossing a ball to Yahaba.  The setter set it to Hinata, who grinned and burst forward.  Soaring through the air he swung at the ball and hit it - only for the ball to hit the blocker’s hands and fall onto the floor.  Matsukawa wore a sly grin on his face, as Hinata’s shoulder drooped, disheartened.

“Chibi-chan,” Hinata turned at the sound of his new nickname to see Oikawa standing at the side of the court.

“You too?” Hinata whined.

“I like it,” Oikawa commented.  “Next time, try to find a place where the blocker  _ isn’t _ .  And if you can’t just hit it off the side of his hands.”

“Right!” Hinata’s eyes shone and he jumped back in line as Kindaichi hit the ball, where it flew off the top of Matsukawa’s hands.  Yahaba set another ball to Hinata, who tried to looked around the blocker.  There was a space, but his shoulders weren’t open enough - hit accidentally hit the ball into the block again, landing with a scowl on his face.

“I could tell you were trying, Chibi-chan.  You won’t get it on the first few tries, but keep working on it!”  Oikawa encouraged.  Hinata couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as he watched Kindaichi hit the ball past Matsukawa, who made a comment about how it wasn’t fair since he was blocking him one-on-one.

Hinata leaned forward, waiting to hit the ball as it was tossed high into the air; approaching the ball, he leapt up and noticed how much of the court he could actually  _ see _ .  He could see the easy shot across the court, as well as the tricky straight-shot.  However, since he didn’t completely trust himself, Hinata hit the ball to the easy shot.  It went in and he couldn’t help but turning to face Yahaba, smiling brightly.

“It went in!”

“Nice kill!” Yahaba gave him a thumbs up.  The two first-years hit a few more balls apiece, Kindaichi getting more kills than Hinata, but the orange-haired boy was still happy with his hits.  Watari and Yahaba worked with the two for the rest of practice, Matsukawa going back over to join the returning players (and Kunimi), and the rest of the time flew by.

In the locker room, Hinata couldn’t help but feel oddly isolated from everyone.  Kindaichi and Kunimi were already accepted to attend Aoba Jousai and had hit it off with the team, leaving Hinata to change into his regular clothing by himself.  He and Kunimi hadn’t spoken to each other, and things between Kindaichi were just  _ weird _ .  They were in between being rivals and trying to become teammates, and it was a bit uncomfortable.

Hinata was slipping his regular shoes back on as Kindaichi took his kneepads off when the two of them heard snickering.  Their heads whipped towards one another, accusations at the ready, until they realized it wasn’t coming from the other.

“Is it seriously happening?” someone’s voice, who Hinata realized was Hanamaki’s, asked.

“Yeah,” Matsukawa’s voice murmured.  Kindaichi and Hinata crept over to the wall, not daring to peek around the corner.  “We’re going to blindfold the first years and take them to the lake by the park and throw them in!”

“Sick!” Hanamaki exclaimed.  Hinata and Kindaichi slowly turned to face each other before screaming loudly and scrambling back to their lockers.  Kunimi looked at them, his usually bored countenance showing some sort of interest, as the two messily shoved their belongings into their bags and tried to run out of the locker room.  They were just at the door when Matsukawa and Hanamaki leapt in front of the door.

“Ah-ha!” they shouted.

“Don’t hurt us!” Hinata and Kindaichi screeched.  From behind them, they heard laughing and turned around to see Yahaba and Watari.

“They’re just messing around,” Yahaba chuckled.

“We don’t do hazing here,” Watari assured, patting the two first-years’ shoulders.  They were still shaking as Matsukawa and Hanamaki high-fived.  Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as he put a clean shirt on over his head and pat down his hair, looking at Oikawa.  A smile tugged at the setter’s lips as he watched players interact, and soon, they were the only two left in the locker room.

“Crappykawa, you’re still thinking about that little shrimp as a player for us?” Iwaizumi questioned.  “He’s shit at receiving, and a lot of his hits were blocked, at least the ones  _ I _ saw.”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa shook his head.  “You have to give him  _ time _ .  I’m sure in a few weeks, by the time school applications are closed, he’ll have improved enough to change your mind.”

“That’s what you  _ want _ , but I don’t think it will realistically happen,” Iwaizumi hauled his bag over his shoulder.  “I’m a fan of the underdogs, but I don’t know he can physically  _ do  _ it.  He has the work ethic and the will, but he’s probably too short to hit and his receives are sloppy.  You know you can’t consistently get receives overnight.”

“I know,” Oikawa replied, trying to keep his voice calm.  “Have a little faith, Iwa-chan.” Iwaizumi shot him an unreadable look. 

“I have a  _ little _ faith in you. It's the shrimp I don't know that I can believe in yet.”

  
  



	3. Toss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Speaking of potential, rumor has it Shirabu’s going to be starting next year since he did so well after being subbed in for you during the last tournament. Would that have anything to do with you finding this genius setter and taking him under your wing, Eita-kun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is officially dedicated to the amazing miracleboysatori, whose love for the swan children made writing them fun and a whole lot easier (and made it turn out better) than it would have been with just us trying to figure out what these kids are like.

Semi sighed as he stood at the entrance to Shiratorizawa’s campus, waiting for the middle school setter he'd recruited to show up. After the fiasco of Kitagawa Daiichi’s final match of the tournament - when Kageyama’s team refused to even try to spike his toss, completely shutting him out - the Shiratorizawa coaches had almost retracted their decision to accept Kageyama. Semi had managed to convince them to give him until the end of the school year to make Kageyama a setter that Shiratorizawa could use, one who would work with his team and help them on their path to victory. 

“Semi-san?” Semi blinked, focused on his surroundings, and smiled when he saw Kageyama standing in front of him. “Are you all right?” Semi nodded. 

“I was just thinking. Come on. Some of the others agreed to stay after practice to see how you are as a setter,” Semi told him. “So I was thinking we’d see how you do in some three-on-three.” Kageyama tensed, and Semi wondered about that. 

“Um, alright,” Kageyama nodded his head slowly before Semi waved Kageyama on to follow him into the gym.  The middle schooler’s eyes widened as he walked into the gym, taking in the large facility.  There was room for probably three courts, even though a single net stood in the center of the huge gym.  Semi took notice of this and chuckled.

“This is only our auxiliary gym,” Semi informed him.

“Only?” Kageyama’s jaw nearly dropped.

“Our volleyball program gets a lot of funding.”  Semi raised his eyebrows and Kageyama followed his eyes to see four players standing in a circle, one of whom was vigorously waving their arms.  He had bright red hair that stood straight up and a wild grin.

“Eita-kun!” the player exclaimed, before taking notice of Kageyama.  “Oh, is this the one you’re hoping to take under your wing?”

“This is Kageyama Tobio from Kitagawa Daiichi,” Semi introduced.  Kageyama barely waved as he examined the other players: they were all around the same height as them, but he couldn’t help but feel as if he were being looked down upon by them because of the aura they bore.

“Well  _ I’m _ Tendou Satori,” the red-haired player beamed, sticking his thumb into his chest.

“We all know who  _ you _ are, you loud-mouth,” Semi shot back, to which Tendou gave an exaggeratedly wounded gasp.

“Eita-kun, how could you insult me in front of your precious new kouhai?” Tendou exclaimed. Semi ignored him and gestured for the next player to introduce himself. 

“I’m Ohiro Reon,” the next player, who had a dark undercut, murmured. His voice had a soothing quality that made the tiniest bit of tension flow out of Kageyama’s shoulders. Kageyama half expected some sort of banter between Reon and the other two.

“Reon-kun is so quiet,” Tendou sighed. 

“It’s a welcome contrast to you,” Semi replied tartly. 

“I’m Goshiki Tsutomu,” the next player announced, glancing at Tendou and the others with something akin to awe in his expression. “I want to be the next ace,” he added. 

“Work hard, then,” Ohiro murmured. 

“You’ll have to wait until Wakatoshi graduates,” Tendou added. Semi shook his head. 

“I’m Shibata,” the last player said, eyeing Kageyama with contempt. “You’re the setter whose team rejected him.” Kageyama flinched. 

“That’s why we’re doing this trial match,” Tendou stage-whispered, his voice meant to carry to Kageyama. “To see if he learned anything from that.” Shibata shot an unreadable look at Tendou. Kageyama looked away, fingernails digging into his palms as he clenched his fists. 

“Satori,” Semi admonished. “We’ll be playing middle schoolers against team members, so let’s get the kouhai warmed up.”  The players nodded their heads and jogged over to a ball cart, each of them grabbing a ball.  Kageyama stood there, unsure of what to do, and turned to Semi nervously.  “Kageyama-kun, you can start out tossing to warm up.”  The middle-schooler nodded his head and turned to Goshiki, who was ready to hit from the left side.  He threw a ball to Kageyama, who set it to the pin, and watched as Goshiki swung a narrow straight shot.  He continued to toss to the players that lined up, his fingers expertly forming to the shape of the ball and delicately flicking his wrists.

“Where’s the ‘kings toss?’” Tendou whispered to Semi, stepping into line.

“Satori-” Semi stopped before sighing deeply.  “He doesn’t feel the pressure to get around the block, so his sets are at a medium tempo right now.  If we can get him to do that during a game… I mean, look at these sets.”  Their eyes turned to Oikawa as he arched his back to send the ball backwards, Reon hitting the ball from the right side.  The ball was higher than the antennae, but not so high that it would mess up the hitter’s timing.  Reon hit the ball perfectly and complimented Kageyama’s set.

“Mhm,” Tendou pursed his lips, stepping into line.  “King-kun, can I get an A quick?”  Kageyama’s head whipped towards Tendou, who had a devilish smirk painted on his lips as he threw the ball at the setter.  Kageyama jumped up to toss the ball as Tendou ran up to it, jumping in time with the ball.  The accuracy of the toss freaked Tendou out a bit; it was like Kageyama already knew where the perfect spot for the ball would be for Tendou to hit it, so he just placed it there as if it were second nature.  Despite his surprise, Tendou swung at full force and sent the ball to the left corner of the court.

“Hey, I like this guy!” Tendou slapped Kageyama’s shoulder as he ducked under the net to retrieve the ball.

“Great,” Shibata muttered.  “Of course he likes the other weird one.”

“Alright, I think everyone’s warmed up, so let’s get started,” Semi rubbed his hands together.  “The kouhai can get first serve.”

“Aw, that’s no fun,” Tendou complained, walking under the net and to the other side.

“Tendou, do you ever stop talking?” Reon joked.

“Nope.”

“How about if the kouhai win, you can’t talk all day tomorrow?” Semi suggested.

“Deal,” Tendou immediately agreed.  “Because we’re going to kick their butts!”

“No you’re not!” Goshiki cried, pumping his fists in the air.  Shibata just stood quietly, and Kageyama was too overwhelmed by everything to process it.

“You want to serve, king?” Shibata dryly asked, turning to Kageyama, who tensed, jaw clenching.

“Sure,” the setter nodded his head, and Shibata threw a ball over to him.  Kageyama walked to the back line and took a few steps backwards, wanting to attempt his jump serve.  He breathed out deeply, focusing in on the touch and feel of the ball, before holding his arm out and tossing it high into the air.  Kageyama realized the ball was coming down faster than he had expected and tried to swing at it, but the ball ended up flying into the net.  Semi nearly jumped as the net bounced towards him, and all the players turned and gave Kageyama a surprised look.   _ What a great way to make a first impression _ …

“Are you still learning that serve?” Reon called from the other side.

“Um, yeah,” Kageyama mumbled.

“Next time, Kageyama-kun,” Semi paused so Kageyama would look at him.  Semi imitated a jump serve, watching the young setter.  “Start your approach earlier or you’ll be too late to hit the ball.  That was a good toss, though, and that’s the hardest part!”  Kageyama nodded his head forcefully, taking his position on the court.  Semi walked back to serve and threw the ball high into the air, approaching rapidly.  It was intimidating to watch the setter leap into the air and hit the ball, where it raced towards Goshiki.  The pin hitter received the ball fairly easily and Kageyama approached it as Shibata called for a hit in the middle.  Kageyama jumped to set the ball, and tossed it barely above the tape.  Shibata wasn’t there to hit the ball, though, and it dropped on the floor right after Kageyama’s feet hit the ground.  More surprised silence ensued as the player stared at him, Goshiki’s and Tendou’s mouths wide-open.  Shibata looked more frustrated than anything, Reon looked sympathizing, and Semi seemed confused.  Tendou had been up to try to block the hit, but he hadn’t even been in the air when Kageyama had set it.

“Was that the ‘king’s toss’?” Shibata crisply asked.  Kageyama clenched his fists, as to not strangle the other’s neck.

“Shibata-kun,” Semi scolded.  “Kageyama-kun, I know you want to toss quickly to avoid the blockers-”

“I need to ensure that my hitters can hit freely,” Kageyama interrupted.  Semi looked put-off by the interruption but continued anyways.

“You can trust us to get the ball over at all costs,” Semi grabbed the ball and walked back to the end line.  “Give the hitter the best toss for their play style, and you will get the results you want.”  Kageyama’s brows furrowed in confusion, but he didn’t have time to process the advice when Semi served again.  The ball zoomed towards Shibata, who received it somewhat sloppily into the middle of the court.  A curse escaped his mouth as Kageyama ran towards the ball, squaring up and sending a low ball to Goshiki.  The wing spiker grunted as he hit the ball, as it was too-low for his liking, but ended up hitting it over anyways.  Reon received the ball, diving on the floor, and Semi jump-set to give Tendou a high toss for a back row attack.  Tendou’s face lit up as he leapt into the air, hitting the ball towards Kageyama.  The setter grimaced as the ball bounced off his forearms.

“Setter’s out!” Kageyama shouted.  “Set me, here!”  He waved his arm out as Shibata gave him a questioning look, but set the ball to him anyways.  Kageyama approached towards the ball and leapt into the air, pinpointing where he could hit.  Tendou was right in front of him, and Reon had shifted over… so the straight shot was open.  Opening his shoulders and swinging, he hit the ball down the line and earned the team a point.

“Damn!” Tendou hissed.  “Sorry, guys!  I saw it too-late.”

“Well, it’s guess-blocking for a reason,” Semi snorted.  “Nice kill, Kageyama-kun.  Goshiki, any criticism for the set?”

“I’ll hit anything you give me!” Goshiki insisted.  Semi shot him a look, and the hitter rubbed the back of his neck.  “I’d prefer it a little higher, actually.”

“But… but the block,” Kageyama pointed towards the net, as if a blocker were standing there.

“I know it’s hard to change,” Semi began, grabbing a ball and throwing it to Goshiki to serve.  “But you need to trust your teammates.  I don’t expect you to instantly start giving hitters the tosses they prefer, but as long as we see you trying we’ll be satisfied.”  Kageyama nodded his head slowly.  Even if he  _ wanted _ to give the spikers a higher set, he felt as if his body couldn’t.  His legs wouldn’t push more and his fingers wouldn’t cushion the ball as much; his body was basically holding him back.

“I… I will try my best,” Kageyama bowed, the older players appearing content with his response.

“Let’s get this point,” Reon encouraged his team, clapping his hands.  Tendou stuck his tongue out, and Semi just rolled his eyes.  Goshiki served the ball, and Tendou received it easily.  Semi set the ball to Reon, who hit it to Shibata.  The player dove for the ball and, dropping his shoulder, received it back to Kageyama.

_ Push the ball,  _ the setter told himself.   _ Give them the toss  _ they  _ want, not what you want _ .  Despite the protestations of his fingers and wrists, Kageyama sent the ball higher.  It wasn’t much higher than his usual set, but Semi noticed the difference and bit back a grin.  Goshiki’s eyes glimmered and he leapt into the air, hitting a narrow straight shot and earning the kouhai’s the point.

“That was better!” Goshiki gave Kageyama a thumbs up.  “I could get my killer straight in!”

“Your killer straight?” Tendou sarcastically inquired.

“Yeah!  It’s my best hit!”

“Only if you can get it in more than once.”

“Hey!”

“Save the bickering,” Semi rubbed his forehead.  “That was better, Kageyama-kun.  I’m glad to see you trying… it means you have good work ethic.”  Pride flared up in Kageyama’s chest, and he looked down at his feet to not smile.  Even if it was only his lips turning upwards slightly, it felt good to have a spiker hit the ball and score a kill off of it.  It had been so long since a hitter had successfully hit one of his sets past a block, let alone earn a point off of it, that he had to take a second to revel in the sense of satisfaction he got.

The match continued on, as the two teams played to 25 points.  The game was pretty close, actually, a few memorable plays being a dump Semi executed, Tendou blocking Shibata - with a jeer at Shibata’s spiking form, of course -  and Goshiki hitting a few more straight-shots.  However, the game ended in the high schoolers’ favor, 25-20.  After shaking hands, Semi waved Kageyama over as the other 4 players took the net down.

“How do you think today went?” Semi questioned.

“I think it went… pretty well,” Kageyama said.  “It started out kind of rough, but it got better.”

“Good,” the elder smiled.  “Keep up the good work.  I know it’s hard to change a toss you’ve become used to giving, but you want to better your team, correct?”   
“Right.”

“If you really want to change it and become an incredible setter,” Semi raised his hand and began walking away.  “I think you will.  Thanks for coming in, are you going to come back tomorrow?”

“Oh, uh,” Kageyama stuttered.  “I’d love to if-”

“I want to hit off of him more!” Tendou shouted, making Semi cringe.  “It’s so  _ weird _ !”

“Well, since Tendou wants you to come back, you kind of have to,” Semi shrugged, glancing at the red-haired blocker.

“Uh…”

“That’s a joke, Kageyama-kun,” Semi chuckled.  “You’re free to go.  We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!” Kageyama and the other middle schoolers made their way out of the gym, Shibata glancing at Kageyama occasionally but not really talking to him, while Goshiki enthusiastically recounted his favorite plays from the match. Kageyama was tense and unsure at first, but by the time he was leaving the campus, with Goshiki still walking with him, he seemed to have relaxed a little, and was actually participating in the conversation. 

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from the genius setter who made his team hate him,” Tendou commented. 

“His communication needs work,” Reon mused. “But his technique is good.” He glanced at Semi, who nodded in agreement. 

“He also learns and applies what he learns quickly,” the setter agreed. “We just need to remind him that players telling him how they want the toss isn’t a criticism of his abilities, it’s them trying to communicate so he can help them bring out their potential.”

“Speaking of potential,” Tendou began. Reon frowned at him and shook his head warningly, but Tendou ignored him. “Rumor has it Shirabu’s going to be starting next year since he did so well after being subbed in for you during the last tournament.” Semi paused and didn’t look at Tendou. “Would that have anything to do with you finding this genius setter and taking him under your wing, Eita-kun?”

“You tell me, Guess Monster,” Semi replied, trying to keep his voice even, but his words came out more sharply than he wanted. Tendou made a thoughtful little humming noise, as though that was answer enough. And maybe it was. 


	4. Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Welcome to the team, Chibi-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woW i haven't made any notes yet on here so why not say hi?  
> thank you all for all your support and love, it's amazing! we both smile and like scream together when we see all your reactions and such. thanks for the loving <3  
> hope you all enjoy this chapter!  
> -haikyuuliberos

“Has anyone seen our favorite shrimp today?” Matsukawa asked. Oikawa, who had been about to toss the ball for his jump serve, twitched and nearly dropped the ball.

“It’s getting close to the start of the semester,” Hanamaki commented, pointedly _not_ looking at Oikawa. “We really can’t afford for any of our players to be skipping practice.”

“He’s just late,” Oikawa snapped. “He’s not skipping.” Despite the sharpness of his words, Oikawa glanced at the gym door, as though expecting to see Hinata bounce through it any second.

“He’s probably meeting with whatever high school he ended up picking,” Iwaizumi pointed out, tossing a ball to Yahaba, who was supposed to set it for him, but just caught and held the ball instead. Iwaizumi blinked, realizing that the entire gym was silent. “Don’t tell me you guys forgot that Hinata still hasn’t picked a high school yet?” Utter silence met his words. Kindaichi and Kunimi shuffled their feet. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were staring at each other. Yahaba and Watari exchanged surprised glances, then turned their attention to Oikawa, who was staring down at the ball in his hands.

“Oh,” Oikawa said in an uncharacteristically small voice. “So he’s still considering Karasuno?” Iwaizumi shrugged.

“He could have applied other places, too. But yeah, probably. His hero went there, after all,” Iwaizumi reminded them.

“If he was going to pick a different school, shouldn’t he have been practicing with them?” Matsukawa pointed out, shooting Oikawa a worried glance, because the setter hadn’t said anything else. Oikawa ignored Matsukawa and resolutely threw the ball into the air, serving it across the gym so viciously that it bounced off the far wall and flew back into the air.

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi began. Oikawa turned away from him and picked up another ball.

“It doesn’t matter. Either he shows up or he doesn’t,” Oikawa said through clenched teeth. He seemed to realize everyone was watching him and added, “Whatever he chooses, the rest of us still need to practice. Get to work, everyone.” Yahaba was the first to move, catching Iwaizumi’s eye and holding up the ball questioningly. Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa, then sighed and nodded, turning his attention to Yahaba. Matsukawa and Hanamaki sidled closer to Oikawa.

“You know, it’s not like you to mope over someone like this,” Hanamaki observed.

“We know you’ve put a lot of effort into training Chibi-chan, but-”

“I’m sorry I’m late!” Hinata’s voice shattered the tension in the gym, and everyone stared at him. He wasn’t dressed for practice, but he had his gym bag over his shoulder and something else draped over one arm. “I’ll get changed as fast as I can, okay?” Oikawa stared at Hinata, apparently surprised to see him there after just having discussed the possibility of Hinata not showing up at all. Again, Yahaba was the first to move.

“Where have you been?” Yahaba called. Hinata gestured with the arm that had something draped over it.

“I had to pick something up,” Hinata answered vaguely.

“What could possibly be so important that you of all people would be late to practice?” Hanamaki teased. Hinata held up the thing that had been draped over his arm, and now the others recognized it: an Aoba Johsai uniform.

“I kept forgetting to pick this up, so the principal told me to get it at the start of volleyball practice, so he knew I would be on campus,” Hinata explained.

“So you’re coming to Seijou?” Kindaichi asked. Hinata nodded cheerfully. Oikawa abandoned the ball he’d been about to serve - actually, he threw it at Iwaizumi’s head - and darted across the gym to throw his arm around Hinata’s shoulders.

“I knew you’d choose us!” Oikawa announced. “Iwa-chan was all sniffly because he thought you might have picked Karasuno after all-”

“You’re the one who served a ball so hard you almost dented the wall, asshole,” Iwaizumi snapped, hurling the ball Oikawa had tossed at his head toward the setter, who ducked behind Hinata.

“Chibi-chan, save me!” Oikawa exclaimed dramatically. “Iwa-chan is going to murder me!”

“Push him toward Iwaizumi!” Hanamaki urged. Matsukawa nodded encouragingly.

“I have to change,” Hinata objected, ducking away from Oikawa. “You’re on your own, Oikawa-senpai! I don’t want Iwa-senpai coming after me, too!” he shouted over his shoulder as he darted toward the locker room to get into his practice clothes.

“He actually chose to come here,” Iwaizumi said once Hinata was out of earshot and Oikawa stopped screeching about Iwaizumi being a brute. Oikawa paused, then smiled slightly.

“Yeah, he did. I wonder what made up his mind,” the setter mused. Iwaizumi took the opportunity and smacked the back of his head.

“Wonder about it after practice,” Iwaizumi ordered. Oikawa whined and rubbed the back of his head.

“You’re so mean,” he complained, but he couldn’t get his mouth to pout the way he usually did; he was too busy smiling.

 

* * *

“Hinata,” Kindaichi called as Hinata retrieved his bike and headed for the gates. “I think we go the same direction for a while. Want to walk with me and Kunimi?” Hinata blinked in surprise.

“Uh...sure?” Kindaichi huffed.

“If you don’t want to-”

“That’s not what I-” Hinata started to object.

“You surprised him,” Kunimi murmured, nudging Kindaichi with his elbow. Kindaichi hesitated, glancing at Hinata, who nodded sheepishly. There was an awkward pause, and then Hinata spoke.

“Let’s walk together,” he said cheerfully. “It’ll be fun!” Kindaichi didn’t respond immediately, so Kunimi elbowed him again. Kindaichi nodded, but he wasn’t sure how fun it would be with Kunimi’s newfound enthusiasm for elbowing him. Kindaichi decided to walk on the other side of Hinata so he wouldn’t get elbowed. The three of them walked together for a while, chatting about their lessons or what they hoped to do in practice the next day, until they reached the intersection where Hinata would turn toward his home and Kindaichi and Kunimi would turn the other way to their neighborhood.

“Shouyou-kun, you should come and study with us sometime,” Kunimi said quietly just before Hinata turned away. Kindaichi and Hinata both froze. Kunimi tilted his head.

“You just called him…” Kindaichi trailed off. Kunimi looked up at him, normally sleepy gaze now wide and innocent.

“Are you feeling left out, Yuutarou-kun?” Kunimi asked. Kindaichi choked, and Kunimi looked down. “Or does me using your given names make you uncomfortable?”

“You just surprised us,” Hinata blurted out. Kunimi hesitated, but Kindaichi nodded his agreement.

“So you’re okay with it?” Kunimi asked. “I thought, since we’re all close friends, and we’ll be spending a lot of time together…” Hinata stared at Kunimi for a long moment.

“You mean it? You think we’re good enough friends to…” He trailed off when Kunimi nodded, eyes wide with surprise. Then he smiled hesitantly. “Can we call you Akira-kun, then?” Kunimi nodded, and they both turned to Kindaichi.

“Yuutarou-kun?” Kunimi prompted. Kindaichi jumped, then took a step back when he realized both of them were staring up at him.

“Yuutarou-kun,” Hinata added playfully, he and Kunimi exchanging sudden wicked grins. Kindaichi, as one of the few to ever witness Kunimi actually grinning at all, let alone wickedly, wonders if he’s going to die. “Call us by our names, too!” Hinata urged.

“Come on, Yuutarou-kun,” Kunimi added softly, giving Kindaichi an innocently encouraging look.

“A-Akira-kun? Shouyou...kun?” Kindaichi tried. Hinata beamed, and Kunimi nodded approvingly.

* * *

“Hey, Chibi-chan, come over here,” Oikawa called after practice. Hinata, who had been planning to walk home with Kindaichi and Kunimi like usual, paused and glanced at his fellow first-years.

“Want us to wait, Shouyou-kun?” Kunimi asked softly. Hinata shook his head.

“Go ahead,” he urged. Kindaichi waved, and Hinata grinned and waved back. Then the other two first-years walked away, leaving Hinata to turn and skip over to Oikawa. “What’s up?”

“I know you’ve been working a lot with Shige-chan,” Oikawa said. “And  that’s good, for both of you. But the coaches have noticed your improvement, and they’re going to be deciding the lineup for the tournament soon.” Hinata’s eyes widened.

“Do you think…?”

“I think it would be good for you and I to work on our combinations, and you should improve your serves,” Oikawa told him with a grin. Hinata beamed and bounced in place.

“So I can serve like _you_?” Admiration filled Hinata’s voice as his golden eyes sparkled.  Oikawa felt a flutter of pride in his chest and smiled at the first-year.

“You might not get it right away, but I believe in you.  Let’s work on our toss-hit connection though, alright?”  Hinata eagerly nodded his head as he grabbed the ball cart and brought it over to the attack line, grabbing a ball with his hands and looking at Oikawa.

“I’ll just give a high toss to start, but we can adjust it,” Oikawa explained as Hinata threw the ball at the setter.  Oikawa stepped into the ball and exhaled lightly as his fingers cushioned the ball, a skill that was second-nature to him, and sent it to Hinata.  The little hitter leapt into the air and hit the ball across the court, getting it in bounds.  Oikawa, even after observing Hinata for months,  was always astounded when he watched him jump.   _It’s not jumping_ , Oikawa thought to himself as Hinata’s feet returned to the floor.   _He’s_ flying.

“Nice hit,” Oikawa praised.  The two continued their exercise, Hinata tossing balls to Oikawa, who set them, and Hinata would spike the balls onto the other side.  Since working with Yahaba in practice, Oikawa noticed how much more developed and consistent Hinata was.  The first year was beginning to _see_ the other side of the court, finding places to hit the ball where no players would typically be.  Even though his accuracy wasn’t 100% yet, Oikawa was more than satisfied to see him thinking about the game.

“Chibi-chan, how are you with straights?” Oikawa paused.  

“Well…” Hinata trailed off and brought a hand to his mouth.  “ _Sometimes_ I can spike down the sideline, but most of the time it’s just luck.”

“Well,” Oikawa walked over to Hinata and stood behind him, grabbing his shoulders gently.  Hinata’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as he craned his neck to look back at Oikawa.  The setter pulled Hinata’s shoulders back slightly and instructed Hinata to raise his elbow up.  “You feel that, right?  If there was a setter standing there, you’d be open to them, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And this is how you should be when you’re hitting cross, right?”

“Mhm.”

“So, when you go like _this_ ,” Oikawa pushed Hinata’s shoulders so they were parallel to the volleyball net.  “And rotate your hips around to they’re facing the same way as your shoulders, or else you’ll end up with back problems.  But you see how you opened and closed to the setter?  When you’re closed, you should be able to hit a straight.”

“Oh!”  Hinata gasped as if he had been introduced to something otherworldly.  “Alright!  Can I try it?!”

“Of course,” Oikawa nodded his head once before jogging back to the net.  With a grin, Hinata threw a ball to Oikawa, who jump-set the ball back to Hinata.  Hinata, obviously determined to hit the ball down the sideline, leapt into the air; Oikawa was pleased to watch as Hinata closed his shoulders and swung at the ball, sending it down the straight.

“Oikawa-senpai, it worked!” Hinata cheered.

“Did you doubt me?” Oikawa teased, beaming.

“Of course not!” Hinata vigorously shook his head.  Oikawa laughed and ruffled Hinata’s hair.

“Let’s hit a few more, and then we can work on your serve, Chibi-chan.”  Oikawa and Hinata continued, tossing and spiking balls until the ball-cart was empty and volleyballs were littered across the gym floor.  Oikawa bent down to pick a ball up as he glanced at Hinata, who was staring at his hand.  He had noticed the first-year do this often, as if he couldn’t believe his own body had hit the ball in such a way that it ricocheted off the wood floor.  The setter suppressed a smile and stood up, dropping the balls into the cart.

“Hurry up, Chibi-chan,” Oikawa sung.  “Or we may not have time to work on your serve!”  Hinata leapt into the air and sprinted around the gym, grabbing as many volleyballs as his skinny arms could carry.  Oikawa chuckled at the sight, helping his kouhai, and the two were finished quickly.  Oikawa grabbed the ball-cart and pulled it toward the back line of the court, Hinata following him like an eager puppy.

“So, I’m going to show you my serve first, and then we’ll break it down,” Oikawa informed him.

“But don’t you just…” Hinata’s face twisted as he tried to focus, imitating Oikawa as he tossed the ball into the air.  “Whoosh!  And then wham!  And oof?”  Oikawa cocked his head to the side before he burst out laughing.

“Oh, Chibi-chan,” Oikawa’s shoulders shook with laughter.  Hinata stared at the setter in confusion, which only made him crack up further.

“Isn’t it?”

“Not quite,” Oikawa took a deep breath to regain his composure.  “Watch me.”  Like his body instinctively knew, Oikawa tossed the ball high into the air, getting some backspin on it, and approached to the ball.  His muscular legs pushed off of the ground, sending him into the air, as he opened his shoulders up and twisted them back in as he hit the ball with his hand.  The ball flew the air with incredible velocity before slamming into the ground on the other side of the net.  Oikawa landed with a smirk on his face before turning to look at Hinata, his jaw slack.

“It’s even _more_ incredible up close!” Hinata gushed.  Oikawa was taken aback slightly, but recovered quickly.

“Well, of course you get a much better view up close.  Now, keep in mind,” he began, grabbing another ball.  “I’ve been practicing this for _years_.  I don’t expect you to get it on the first night.”

“Oh,” Hinata sounded disappointed.

“Hey,” Oikawa grabbed his shoulder.  “If you start _now_ , imagine how good you’ll be in a few months?  Or next year, or the year after that?  You always have to start somewhere.”  
“Right!” the first year brightened up.

“Good.  Now, we’re just going to practice tossing the ball, because it’s the most difficult yet most important part of the serve.”  Oikawa gave the ball to Hinata before stepping about 3 meters away from him.  “Just stand there and, with your left arm, just toss the ball high into the air.  If it’s a good toss, I should be able to catch it, alright?”

“Okay!” Hinata grabbed the ball with his left hand and threw it into the air.  It didn’t go as high as he had expected, and landed in between him and Oikawa.  Hinata’s face turned red with embarrassment as he sheepishly picked the ball up.  “That wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

“I know it’s hard, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be easy!” Oikawa encouraged him.  Hinata tried again.  And again.  And for a while longer, he just worked on throwing the ball up into the air, high enough that he would be able to approach and hit it, but far enough that he would be able to use his speed and vertical to his advantage.  His arm was getting tired, but he wouldn’t let Oikawa know that.  Despite the burning in his arm, Hinata began to feel like it was all worth it when his tosses became more consistent, staying in the same general area and reaching Oikawa the majority of the time.  After one final toss, Oikawa caught the ball and kept it to himself.

“Nice job,” Oikawa commended.  “Now, let’s work on your approach.  It’s just like your attack approaching, it’s just more difficult since you have to toss the ball yourself.”  Oikawa demonstrated, not going full force, but just enough that Hinata would comprehend it.  The first-year nodded his head and took a few steps back before starting his approach.  He did it, thinking through it more than usual, before landing on the ground and looking at Oikawa.  The setter only nodded his head, no words needing to be said.

After practicing his approach for a while, and getting pretty tired, Oikawa had him stop.

“Let’s try actually serving, but I don’t expect anything huge,” Oikawa gave Hinata a ball.  “It took me a long time to get a handle on it.”

“Okay,” Hinata took a deep breath and held the ball in front of his face, tossing it up high into the air.  He panicked slightly and fumbled on his approach and hit the ball, where it zoomed _under_ the net.  Hinata landed on the ground, his eyes wide and his mouth in a thin line.

“It’s okay,” Oikawa shoved another ball into Hinata’s hands.  “Try again!”  Hinata must have tried 30 more times, repeatedly throwing the ball into the air, jumping up, and swinging at the ball.  His timing was off, his tosses still weren’t as consistent as they could have been, and Hinata had too many things to focus on.  After hitting a serve into the net, he let out a “tch” in frustration.

“Chibi-chan, let’s call it a night,” Oikawa gently pat Hinata’s shoulder and guided him away.  “You’re working very hard, but you don’t need to get your serve in one night!”

“I want to get at least one,” Hinata shook a surprised Oikawa off of him and threw the ball into the air.  Determination flowed through the orange-haired spiker as he leapt into the air opening his shoulders and bring his arm up.  His hand contacted the ball and Oikawa’s jaw went slack as he watched the ball fly over the net, just barely missing the tape.  Hinata landed on the ground, after just appearing as if he had wings, and straightened up before looking at Oikawa.  The two stared at each other in silence before it was broken by Oikawa.

“ _Chibi-chan_!” Oikawa exclaimed, grabbing Hinata and picking him up.  “That was incredible!  I’m so proud of you!”

“I did it!” Hinata pumped his fists in the air as Oikawa placed him now, nearly punching the setter.  “Thank you, Oikawa-senpai!”

“No pro-”

“What are you two doing here?!” they heard a snarl from the door and both paled when they saw Iwaizumi standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

“Ah, Iwa-chan, I can explain,” Oikawa started, backing away from the furious ace; Hinata trembled in place, too scared to move. Iwaizumi stalked into the gym, right up to the still-petrified Hinata, and seized his arm with a grip that was tight enough that Hinata knew he couldn’t squirm away, but not tight enough to bruise. Then Iwaizumi dragged Hinata across the gym toward Oikawa, who continued to backpedal, stammering that it wasn’t what it looked like, he promised, they _absolutely_ hadn’t been practicing nonstop since official practice ended, really Iwa-chan. Eventually, Oikawa ran out of space and ended up with his back to the wall, Iwaizumi looking over him with Hinata still beside him, prevented from escaping by Iwaizumi’s hold.

“Both of you, sit and stretch,” Iwaizumi ordered, placing Hinata beside Oikawa and then putting a hand on each of their shoulders with just enough weight that they exchanged uncertain glances and then obeyed. “Oikawa, you know better, you idiot,” Iwaizumi began as Oikawa and Hinata began their cooldown stretches.

“I wasn’t even the one serving, so it was harmless,” Oikawa muttered mutinously. “Chibi-chan wanted to learn how to serve, and-”

“And I’m sure you didn’t start this _harmless_ little extra practice with spiking practice and you setting and jumping around,” Iwaizumi interrupted, scowling. “And even if it was just Hinata serving while you watch and give him advice, that’s going to take a toll on his body, the same way it did on yours,” he added, glaring down at Oikawa’s right knee, wrapped up still in its supporter. Oikawa stared at the ground guiltily.

“I didn’t...we just…” Oikawa trailed off.

“Oikawa-senpai was helping me,” Hinata piped up nervously. “I want to be good enough to be a starter, so-”

“You _are_ good enough,” Iwaizumi snapped. “Both of you are. Oikawa, you know that staying up practicing only ends up making you feel worse, because you’re exhausted and sore the next day. And you should know that letting Hinata develop bad habits like this is going to get him injured. Tooru, you have _got_ to stop doing this.” Oikawa bit his lip and refused to meet Iwaizumi’s eyes.

“I know, Hajime,” Oikawa sighed. “I’m sorry.” Iwaizumi studied him for a moment, then nodded sharply and turned to Hinata.

“You. Your skills have come a long way, and there is a possibility that you could be a starter in the tournament. But that won’t happen if you burn yourself out and get hurt because you just couldn’t stand to leave the gym and rest. You’re part of the team now, Hinata. You have to think. You can’t be reckless to the point of injuring yourself,” Iwaizumi told him. Hinata stared up at him, wide-eyed.

“Sorry,” Hinata squeaked. Iwaizumi sighed and eyed them both.

“No more extra practice,” he said. Oikawa and Hinata nodded silently. “And before you ask, Hinata, practicing on days off counts as extra.” Hinata’s lower lip stuck out mutinously, and then he realized he was pouting at his senpai and quickly tried to give Iwaizumi an earnest expression.

“I promise not to practice extra or get hurt,” Hinata said hastily.

“Good. Now both of you help me get all of this cleaned up, and then you’re both going home to sleep,” Iwaizumi growled. Oikawa and Hinata nodded vigorously.

It wasn’t until they had put away all of the volleyballs, and the net, and cleaned the floor, that Oikawa leaned over and murmured something to Hinata that drove away the lingering anxiousness the first year felt after being lectured by his vice captain.

“Iwa-chan only gets like that when he’s worried,” Oikawa confided. “And he only gets that worked up about his teammates." Hinata’s eyes widened, and Oikawa laughed quietly. “Welcome to the team, Chibi-chan.”


	5. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you Oikawa Tooru’s kouhai?” Ushijima questioned, grabbing the ball and walking by Kageyama.  
> “Um, yes,” Kageyama replied. Ushijima stared at him for a second before his lips curled upwards.  
> “Good,” Ushijima strode towards the back of the court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've both been really busy the last couple weeks, which is why this didn't get posted before now. We're really sorry about that.  
> On a happier note: since this is another Shiratorizawa chapter, it's once again dedicated to our resident swan child expert. You know who you are.

Kageyama had been practicing with Semi and the others after their official practices for several weeks.Towards the end of one of their practices, Semi pulled Kageyama aside. 

“Come to the main gym tomorrow, about an hour before we usually met,” Semi told him. Kageyama hesitated, confused, and Semi explained, “The coaches want to see you play and introduce you to the rest of the team. If things go well, you could be officially offered a place on the team.” Kageyama’s eyes lit up, his weariness from their long practice suddenly gone. 

“Really?” Semi chuckled and ruffled Kageyama’s hair. 

“Yeah, really. Just remember everything we’ve been working on, and you’ll be fine,” Semi told him. Kageyama nodded nervously.

“Hey, Kageyama! Toss to me again!” Tendou called. “I want to see if you can get the ball to me wherever I jump!” Goshiki’s eyes lit up. 

“Do you really think that’s possible? That would be amazing, right?” Goshiki exclaimed. Shibata shook his head at them, shuddering slightly as Tendou grinned and bounced in place excitedly. Kageyama turned to Semi, gaze hopeful and questioning. 

“Go ahead,” Semi laughed. “Just don’t wear yourself out too much, or you won’t be in top shape tomorrow,” he added, grinning. Kageyama ducked his head in thanks, then turned and darted over to Tendou and Goshiki. They spent the rest of their practice time with the two of them making their approaches and jumping in different places, Kageyama matching his tosses to them.  Tendou would scream every time the ball would meet him in the air, but surprisingly swung at the ball with his force.  Kageyama could tell he wasn’t going full-force, but he definitely didn’t want to be the receiving end of that spike.  Every time his fingers brushed the ball, Kageyama felt like time slowed down.   _ Where was the hitter’s movement?  Where were they headed? _  And with godlike accuracy, Kageyama could pin-point the movement and shoot the ball to the spiker.

Goshiki ended up joining them as well, equally as astonished as Tendou.  Gasps of surprise escaped the other first year’s lips and he made many remarks about how cool “Kageyama-kun’s sets were.”  Pride secretly surged through Kageyama, pushing him to become even better at his job.

“Kageyama-kun,” Semi interrupted the trio’s session.  “Come here, please.”

“I was just about to get another freaky toss from him!” Tendou whined.

“You can get set later, Satori.  Suck it up.”

“ _ Eita _ !”

“Yes, Semi-senpai?” Kageyama quietly asked, interrupting the bickering third-years to-be.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” Semi raised an eyebrow, trying to read the kouhai’s face.  Of course, Kageyama’s facial expression remained neutral.

“I’m feeling… fine,” he responded slowly.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Semi chuckled, gripping Kageyama’s shoulder.  Kageyama sharply nodded his head.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, now get back to practicing with that dork,” Semi gestured to Tendou, who made a ridiculous face.  “And Goshiki.”

“Kageyama-kun, toss to me here!” Goshiki held a ball up from where he stood, but Tendou leapt in front of him and began waving his arms madly.

“No,  _ me _ !”

“Satori, you are really the worst senpai!” Semi jeered.

“Just because I didn’t find a ridiculously-talented setter and take him to my volleyball-powerhouse school doesn’t make me a bad senpai!  You’re just outrageously  _ good _ !” Tendou returned his attention to Kageyama and threw the ball at him, running behind Kageyama and receiving a perfect toss, hitting the ball down the straight.  “That  _ still _ creeps me out!”  Semi watched in amusement as Tendou and Goshiki continued, seemingly without tiring, as Kageyama’s attention was composed and focused on each individual toss.   _ Maybe _ , Semi thought to himself.   _ I can learn something from _ him. Semi smiled a little and checked the time. Just a few more minutes, and then he’d start trying to convince them to clean up. After all, he didn’t want Kageyama over tired.  _ If things go the way I think they will, I won’t be the only one learning something from Kageyama... _

* * *

 

Kageyama hesitated outside Shiratorizawa’s main gym. He could hear the squeak of shoes on the floor, the thud of volleyballs hitting hands, slamming to the floor. 

“Hey, there you are!” Tendou exclaimed, throwing an arm around Kageyama’s shoulders before he even realized the older boy was there. Kageyama jumped, then recognized Tendou and relaxed slightly. “Eita-kun was starting to think you’d chickened out,” Tendou confided as he ushered Kageyama into the gym. “Hey, Wakatoshi! Give Shirabu a break and come here!” Kageyama blinked. Wakatoshi? Who was… One of the spikers - correction, one of the  _ huge _ spikers - turned from practicing with a setter Kageyama didn’t recognize.  Even with his tall, muscular frame, the spiker had an aura about him that gave Kageyama chills.  A firm expression rested on his countenance as his hazel eyes burned into Kageyama.

“Yes, Satori?” Ushijima raised an eyebrow, examining Kageyama.

“This is Kageyama-kun, and his sets are crazy,” Tendou shoved Kageyama in front of himself, and the younger bowed nervously.  The other setter, with light brown hair, had walked over and stood behind ‘Wakatoshi.’   _ Wait, _ Kageyama began to process the situation.   _ Could this be…  _ Ushijima  _ Wakatoshi?  The incredible left-handed ace, who dominated  the court with his sheer power? _

“Thank you,” Ushijima paused.  “But I’ll be the judge of that.”  The hitter grabbed a ball and turned towards Kageyama, holding it out in front of him. Kageyama glanced nervously toward Semi, who nodded encouragingly.  Kageyama jogged up to the net and stood there, waiting to toss.  Ushijima’s gaze pierced Kageyama, whose breath caught in his throat.  Ushijima threw the ball to Kageyama, who took a deep breath as he stepped forward.  The entire gym watched him, and he could only hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears and the gentle swish of the ball through the air.  It connected with his hands and he pushed up and forward, sending the ball to Ushijima.  A perfect toss.  Kageyama faltered for a moment, though, as he watched Ushijima approach: he had forgotten that the ace was left-handed.  Ushijima shifted his approach in a little more so he could hit the ball before smashing it with incredible force.  The whole gym echoed for a moment from the power of the hit, yet Ushijima calmly turned to face Kageyama.

“I’m sorry,” Kageyama bowed, apologizing.  “I will push it out farther.”  Semi smiled slightly as he watched his kouhai from across the court.  Everyone on Shiratorizawa’s team, except for Reon, Tendou, Goshiki, and Semi, chuckled lightly as they watched the first year try to sync with Ushijima.  A figure walked up and stopped beside Semi, their eyes following his gaze.

“Who’s this?” Shirabu Kenjirou asked, turning to Semi.

“Kageyama Tobio, Kitagawa Daiichi’s setter,” Semi responded neutrally.  Semi continued to watch Kageyama as he tossed the ball to Ushijima; this time, the ball was pushed out farther for the lefty, who went up and swung at the gorgeous set.  Semi didn’t miss Shirabu’s grunt of contempt as he watched setter and hitter.

“How did he…?” Shirabu mumbled.

“He’s a genius,” Semi proudly crossed his arms. Shirabu blinked, then turned to frown at Semi. 

“A genius. Who you just happened to recruit? One who needed your help to figure out whatever you've been teaching him during those extra practices? What are you doing, Semi-san?” Shirabu demanded. Semi narrowed his eyes. 

“I'm trying to make sure that we get the best setter possible for the future of our team,” Semi answered sharply. “What else would I be doing?” Shirabu clenched his jaw. 

“Well, I don't know, Semi. But it kind of looks like you're just trying to get the precious setter kouhai you wanted me to be until I surpassed you,” Shirabu snapped. Semi resisted the urge to snap back. 

“You didn't surpass me. Your style of play just suits the team better,” Semi said as calmly as he could. Before Shirabu could reply, Semi continued, “Kageyama has the skill, the game sense, the unpredictability and the determination and the ability to decide which spiker is best for a situation that could make him the greatest setter Shiratorizawa has ever had. He just has to convince the coaches of that.”

“Alright,” a commanding voice interrupted the groups.  Coach Washijou walked into the middle of the gym, looking around at the group.  “I want to have a 3 on 3 match to see how you actually play.  Tendou, Ushijima, and Kageyama will be on a team, and Shirabu, Goshiki, and Reon will be on the other.  Semi, focus on running plays with the others.”  Semi curtly nodded his head and jogged away from the court, glancing back nervously.   _ No, _ he thought to himself.   _ Kageyama was practically  _ born  _ for this style of play _ .  Semi pushed his doubts to the back of his mind and turned to face the group of players not participating in the three on three and began to form plays with them.

Kageyama took a deep breath as he took his position on the court.  Tendou walked up next to him and shouldered him lightly.

“Give me those freak-tosses,” Tendou clucked.  Ushijima gave the redhead a questioning look but didn’t say anything, merely studying the first year.  Shirabu, on the opposite side, looked put-off, while Goshiki was ecstatic and Reon was trying to balance the two out.

“We’ll take serve,” Shirabu crisply said, grabbing a ball.

“Someone’s in a mood,” Tendou snickered.  Shirabu shot the middle blocker a look before tossing the ball high into the air, jumping up and hitting it.  The ball flew over the net and towards Ushijima, who received it.  It wasn’t a perfect pass, but Kageyama could work with it.  He sensed Tendou’s movements coming from behind him and flicked his wrists backwards as the ball met his fingertips, turning around after tossing the ball.  Goshiki was late to block and Tendou earned the team a kill, yelling loudly.

“Nice toss, Kageyama-kun!” Tendou forcefully slapped his back.  Coach Washijou looked completely caught off guard by the set as Kageyama went back to serve.   _ Make this serve… make this serve _ .  The first year threw the ball into the air and approached up to it, jumping with all of his might.  He hit the ball forcefully as it hit square in his palm, and the ball spun through the air.  Unfortunately, it caught on the tape and fell back over onto their side.

“Don’t mind,” Tendou assured him as Kageyama rejoined the group on the court.  Kageyama noticed Shirabu’s smug expression as Reon stepped back to serve.  The wing spiker served and the ball flew towards Tendou, who passed it to Kageyama.

_ Who do I toss to _ ?  Kageyama thought to himself.  It would be another ideal moment to run a quick off of a service receive, but he hadn’t set Ushijima yet.  He arched his back as if he were going to set Tendou, but pushed forward, setting the ball to Ushijima.  The lefty leapt into the air with acutely perfect form and slammed the ball down, Goshiki diving for the ball yet missing by a meter or so.  Ushijima turned to Kageyama.

“Nice toss,” Ushijima said, his tone even.  Tendou walked up to Kageyama and stood close to the setter.

“If Ushijima just complimented your toss,” Tendou whispered.  “You must be doing something well.”

“Are you Oikawa Tooru’s kouhai?” Ushijima questioned, grabbing the ball and walking by Kageyama.

“Um, yes,” Kageyama replied.  Ushijima stared at him for a second before his lips curled upwards.

“Good,” Ushijima strode towards the back of the court.   _ Good?  What is that supposed to mean? _

The game continued, Kageyama tossing to Ushijima more than Tendou, because Kageyama knew how Tendou hit, knew the rush of satisfaction from seeing Tendou slam a ball to the floor. The feeling he got from watching Ushijima spike past the opponents was similar, but somehow even more addicting. Kageyama found himself tossing to Ushijima more and more, until he noticed that the blockers on the other team were ignoring Tendou. 

Ushijima leaped to spike again, and all three of their opponents jumped to block him. 

“Tendou-senpai!” Kageyama called. Tendou, who hadn’t been expecting Kageyama to toss to him, made a hasty jump that wasn’t as high or fast as usual, but Kageyama accounted for that and sent the ball straight to where Tendou could easily hit it.   Tendou’s arm whipped forward despite the surprise written all over his face, and the ball met the floor with a thud.  The three blockers stared from the place the ball had hit the floor, to Tendou, then finally to Kageyama, who wasn’t even looking at them. He was glancing between Tendou and Ushijima, nervous about how they would react to his sudden change of play. 

“Kageyama-kun,” Tendou broke the silence.  “What  _ was _ that?!”

“I… just had to get the ball to you,” Kageyama slowly responded.  “And that was the only way it would work.”

“You just instinctively knew where he was and sent the ball directly to him, knowing the 3 blockers were taking on Ushijima?” Coach Washijou had walked onto the court, disbelief etched into his countenance.

“...yes?” Kageyama answered uncertainly. 

“I mean, we’ve heard of you,” Coach Washijou nodded his head slowly.  “We all heard about the setter from Kitagawa Daiichi.  But I never thought… such natural talent and ability.  Why haven’t we scoped you out earlier?”

“Because we were preoccupied with Oikawa,” Ushijima said. There was a pause, and Kageyama scanned the faces turned to him in varying levels of astonishment. Semi’s expression was tinted with pride, and Shirabu looked like he was caught between awe, frustration, and...was that fear? Kageyama’s attention jerked back to Ushijima when the ace spoke again. “Oikawa’s skill was always in bringing out the strength of others. It seems his kouhai has surpassed him.”

“Now that he’s found players who can meet his highness’s standards, anyway,” Shibata muttered under his breath. 

“I think you’re right,” Washijou said to Ushijima. “So you think we should offer him a spot?” Ushijima nodded, and Semi grinned to himself. Tendou and Goshiki shouted happily and descended on Kageyama, and Reon nodded approvingly, though he kept his distance, because Tendou and Goshiki were probably a danger to the people around them as they crowded around Kageyama, beaming and clapping the setter on the shoulder, ruffling his hair in congratulations. Semi approached as Tendou and Goshiki finally calmed down enough that there wasn’t as much of a risk of them accidentally injuring someone.

“Semi-senpai!” Kageyama’s eyes sparkled as he grinned at the older setter. “Thank you!” Semi laughed quietly and reached up to pat Kageyama’s head. 

“You don’t need to thank me,” he said.

“But-”

“Thank me by playing well, and helping us get to nationals this year, too,” Semi told him. Kageyama’s eyes widened, and then he nodded vigorously. Semi stepped back, and Ushijima replaced him.

“Toss to me some more,” Ushijima said, holding up a volleyball. Kageyama somehow managed to look even more excited. Semi watched as they moved off to one of the nets, then glanced at the coach, who was nodding to himself, then at Shirabu, who was watching Kageyama and Ushijima with a myriad of emotions playing across his face, like he wasn’t sure what exactly he thought about this development. Semi felt a flash of sympathy for him, but then he noticed Kageyama setting one of his perfect tosses to Ushijima, with Tendou running to the other side of the net to try to block, and a wave of pride and satisfaction washed over Semi. If he was going to have his starting position taken from him, he was going to be replaced by the kouhai he’d helped grow and mold into what the team needed. 

“You did well,” Reon murmured. Semi jumped; he hadn’t realized his teammate was standing beside him. Semi made himself relax and hum thoughtfully. 

“We’ll see. If he falls back into bad habits, or if the coach doesn’t pick him to start…”

“You still did well,” Reon insisted. “Just take the compliment.” Semi glanced sideways at him, then smiled. 

“Okay. Then thank you.”


	6. Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And for our left wing spikers,” Irihata continued, raising his voice over the now-bickering third years, “I’ve chosen..."

“All right, everyone pay attention,” Coach Irihata called. Hinata exchanged confused glances with Kindaichi.

“He’s probably going to announce the starters for the first tournament game,” Kunimi murmured. Hinata’s eyes widened.

“Do you think-”

“Hey! First years! Get over here!” Irihata shouted. Hinata bolted to where the rest of the team was gathering, Kunimi and Kindaichi trailing after him more slowly. Once everyone was seated on the gym floor around the coach, who stood next to a double-sided whiteboard, the side that was currently facing them blank. “With the Inter-High Tournament coming up, I had to decide who would be starting during those matches. I’ve made my decision, and I’ll be turning in the players’ names later today. We also got the jerseys in, so after positions are announced, uniforms will be distributed.” Hinata was practically bouncing in place with nervous excitement. Kunimi poked him in the side, and Hinata squawked but settled down. Irihata flipped the board, and everyone fell silent. “First, obviously Oikawa will be our official setter,” Irihata said. Hinata shot a sympathetic glance at Yahaba, who maintained a calm expression. Hinata knew that Yahaba hadn’t expected to be chosen over Oikawa - Oikawa was the captain, more experienced, and everyone had known he’d be the official setter, but Hinata noticed Watari leaning over to nudge Yahaba questioningly with his shoulder, checking on his best friend. “And Watari is our Libero.” Yahaba smiled and shouldered Watari back, reassurance and congratulations in one. Hinata relaxed and turned back to the board. “Our middle blockers are going to be Matsukawa-” Irihata paused to frown as Hanamaki and Matsukawa high fived each other, “-and Kindaichi,” Irihata finished.

“Yuutarou-kun!” Hinata squealed, throwing himself sideways at Kindaichi, who yelped and fell over. Kunimi laughed quietly and leaned over to pat Kindaichi’s spiky hair in congratulations. Kindaichi, cheeks red with embarrassment, shoved at Hianta’s shoulder. HInata let himself be pushed off of his friend and sat up to look at the board again.

“Hanamaki will be our right wing spiker,” Irihata said, pausing as Hanamaki and Matsukawa once more high fived, this time following the action by turning to smack Oikawa’s back in unison.

“And you thought sleepy little Kunimi-kun was going to beat me for the right spot,” Hanamaki complained.

“I just said he _might_ if you weren’t careful, because Kunimi-chan  is so much smarter than you,” Oikawa replied, frowning at his fellow third years.

“And for our left wing spikers,” Irihata continued, raising his voice over the now-bickering third years, “I’ve chosen Iwaizumi and Hinata.” There was a long beat of silence. Then the team erupted.

“Chibi-chan, you did it!” Oikawa exclaimed, lunging across Iwaizumi to seize Hinata and ruffle his hair happily. Hinata beamed and started to reply, only to be snatched away from Oikawa by Hanamaki and Matsukawa.

“Don’t go breaking one of our starting players,” Hanamaki chastised.

“You should be more careful with our valued teammate and kouhai,” Matsukawa added with a smirk. Iwaizumi hauled Oikawa back to where he’d been sitting before trying to climb over Iwaizumi to get to Hinata.

“Act more dignified, _Captain_ ,” Iwaizumi added. Oikawa pouted. Meanwhile, Yahaba and Watari made their way over to Hinata to offer their congratulations as well. After a few moments of his senpai congratulating him, though, Hinata paused and glanced nervously at Kunimi, worried that his quiet friend would be upset since HInata and Kindaichi had both made the starting roster, but Kunimi didn't seem bothered. Kunimi noticed Hinata’s look and smiled a little, then reached out and tugged Hinata and Kindaichi away from the rest of the team a little.

“I’m happy for both of you,” Kunimi informed them. “Don’t feel guilty about having starting positions when you’ve earned them.” Hinata and Kindaichi exchanged solemn glances. Then Hinata nodded to himself and threw his arms around Kunimi and dragged him into a hug.

“Akira-kun, you’re awesome,” Hinata announced. Kunimi’s normally sleepy gaze widened. Kindaichi nodded in agreement.

“Chibi-chan, Kunimi-chan, Kin-chan, come get your uniforms!” Oikawa called. Hinata grinned and dragged Kunimi and Kindaichi to the box their teammates were pouring over. Oikawa had already claimed his uniform, the number one with the captain’s mark, and snatched the number four jersey away from Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “Here, Iwa-chan. You’re our ace, so you get number four,” Oikawa announced. Hanamaki and Matsukawa immediately snagged the two and three jerseys.

“In that case, I guess we’ll just have to get in between you two,” Hanamaki said lightly.

“Our numbers are closer to Iwaizumi’s than yours,” Matsukawa added.

“Thank you,” Iwaizumi said. Oikawa huffed indignantly.

“Oh, shut up,” Oikawa muttered, tossing more jerseys out.  Oikawa rifled through the pile and pulled out the jersey number 10 before handing it to Hinata.  “You’ll be number 4 someday, Chibi-chan.”  Hinata almost didn’t respond as he gazed upon the jersey in his hands.

The teal material was smooth yet crisp, with no wrinkles.  The white 10 contrasted against the teal, and the white detailing was perfectly stitched with no loose threads.   _A real jersey_ , Hinata thought to himself.  Not some random jerseys they had found in the back of the storage room, almost falling apart, or a t-shirt with a number tacked on.  Hinata ran his hands over the jerseys, beaming widely.

“Chibi-chan,” Oikawa sung, snapping Hinata out of his trance.

“Yes?  Sorry,” Hinata hastily replied.

“Practice is about to resume.”

“Oh.  Yes Oikawa-senpai!”  Hinata darted off, and Oikawa’s eyes trailed the first-year, not missing the excitement and enthusiasm that radiated from him as he bounced up to Kindaichi and Kunimi, still grinning.

 

* * *

 

Kageyama stared at the board with the starters’ names posted on it. Specifically, he had ignored all of the other positions and was staring at the name of the person who was going to be the official setter.

“Kageyama, what are you…” Goshiki trailed off when he saw what Kageyama was looking at and grinned. “I made the lineup!” Kageyama nodded, still staring at the name next to the word ‘setter’. Goshiki followed his gaze, then beamed and threw an arm around Kageyama’s shoulder. “Kageyama, that’s amazing!” Goshiki exclaimed. Kageyama ducked his head, but didn’t pull away.

“What is?” an irritated voice asked. Kageyama turned, and Goshiki let go of him.

“Shirabu-senpai,” Kageyama greeted him, suddenly nervous. “Did you see…?” Shirabu frowned, then glanced at the board behind Kageyama. Shirabu’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Because the name of the official setter for Shiratorizawa had been revealed, and it was Kageyama Tobio. Tendou, who had walked up behind Shirabu, wondering why they were standing around instead of warming up for practice, saw Kageyama’s name on the board.

“Kageyama-kun, you did it!” Tendou shouted, throwing himself at Kageyama and wrapping his arms around the first year in a crushing bear hug.

“Tendou-senpai,” Kageyama wheezed as Tendou swung him back and forth.

“Please keep crushing him,” Shibata called. Tendou paused and glanced at Kageyama, who was looking very red in the face as his struggle to breathe continued. Tendou released the setter, who stumbled slightly and coughed.

“Tendou, what have I told you about crushing kouhai when you hug them?” Semi grumbled, stomping up and pulling Kageyama a safe distance from Tendou.

“Well you’re gonna make him go bald with how much you ruffle his hair,” Tendou replied. Semi bristled.

“I do not! That’s not how that works, anyway!” Semi protested. Kageyama shot a helpless glance at Reon, who walked over and laid one hand on Semi’s shoulder and one on Tendou’s.

“Since you’re both potentially harming the kouhai, that makes me the best senpai,” Reon announced. Then he turned and walked back toward the court before they could respond. Tendou and Semi blinked, then glanced after Reon.

“The starters’ names are up?” Everyone jumped, having been too caught up in Tendou and Semi’s lighthearted bickering to notice Ushijima’s approach. Ushijima leaned forward, and everyone watched silently as he scanned the names. Ushijima nodded once, then turned to Kageyama and Goshiki. “Good job.” Ushijima turned and headed for the court, and Goshiki beamed and nudged Kageyama, who was staring after the ace, who rarely complimented anyone. Shirabu’s fingers clenched into fists, and his jaw twitched. “Kageyama. Come toss for me,” Ushijima called. Kageyama jolted.

“Go on,” Goshiki urged, grinning. “The official setter needs to practice with the ace lots, right?” Kageyama nodded, still apparently stunned, and Tendou sprang into action, seizing Kageyama’s arm and hauling him toward the court. Goshiki grinned and followed, leaving Semi and Shirabu at the board with the names of the other players who would be starting.

“You did this on purpose,” Shirabu hissed under his breath, eyes narrowing. “You knew he would surpass me.”

“You say that like you think I recruited Kageyama solely to spite you,” Semi observed.

“Didn’t you?” Shirabu countered, fingernails digging into his palms painfully as his fingers clenched tighter, but he didn’t care.

“Of course not,” Semi replied. “If that was the only reason, the coaches never would have actually given him a recommendation.” Shirabu noticed that Semi didn’t deny spiting Shirabu being one of his reasons for recruiting Kageyama, just that it wasn’t the _only_ one. Shirabu was about to call Semi out on that when Semi added quietly, “He’s improved much faster than even I thought he would. If you want that spot back, you’ll have to work harder and maybe add some variety to your tosses, like I’ve been trying to get you to do for a year now.” Shirabu scowled.

“Just because you’re a third year now, that doesn’t mean you know everything,” Shirabu snapped. Semi raised an eyebrow.

“True. But obviously I know something, because I got Kageyama on the team,” Semi replied. Shirabu glared at him and stomped toward the door. “If you skip practice, you won’t be able to catch up,” Semi reminded him. Shirabu glanced over his shoulder venomously.

“I’ll catch up,” he hissed before storming out of the gym. Several of the players already on the court glanced after him, then turned expectantly to Reon, who just sighed and nodded before following Shirabu out of the gym.  Reon followed briskly and, rounding the corner, found Shirabu facing a locker.  His hands were balled up into fists and his whole face was twisted with obvious anger.

“Shirabu,” Reon consoled.

“Leave me alone,” Shirabu barked.  “You’re actually _playing_.  You don’t know what it feels like to be replaced by someone younger than you.”

“Kenjirou,” Reon’s voice, while still soft, had a sharper tone than normal.  “I know this isn’t what you expected - well, not what a lot of us expected, honestly - but you need to keep your eyes forward and move past this.  You are still a part of our team and if one of us has an issue, then _all_ of us will have a problem on our hands.  We can't afford your frustrations right now.”

“You don’t understand-”

“I don’t have to understand your frustration to know how it will affect the team,” Reon cut him off.  Shirabu said nothing, simply glaring at Reon.  It wasn’t Reon he was directly angry at, and he felt bad about taking his rage out on the elder; his anger was directed at Kageyama.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Shirabu hissed, walking away from Reon.  The third year sighed and left Shirabu pacing in the hallway.  The setter ran his hand through his hair and abruptly changed direction as he tried to process his thoughts.

 _A first-year, with some sort of_ miraculous _gift for tossing, is replacing me?  He happened to be found by Semi, just_ happened _to be found by the player who I replaced last year?  What sort of coincidence is this?_

“It’s not a coincidence,” Shirabu muttered, stopping in his tracks.  He looked down at his hands studying the detailing of his fingerprints and the lines decorating his palms.  Kageyama may be a more precise setter _skill-wise_ , but would he really live up to his title in a game?

 _No,_ Shirabu thought, walking through the doorway, allowing everyone’s surprised eyes to gaze upon him.   _And that’s where_ I _come in_.

 

* * *

 

“Chibi-chan looks like he’s going to drop dead from anxiety,” Hanamaki muttered, glancing at Hinata, who was shaking and looking kind of green.

“Well, the last time he was at a tournament, it didn’t exactly go well for him, did it?” Matsukawa pointed out. They both turned to Kindaichi and Kunimi, who were standing nearby. Grinning, Matsukawa put a hand on Kunimi’s shoulder. The sleepy-looking boy frowned up at him. Hanamaki threw an arm around Kindaichi’s shoulders, weighing the taller boy down and smirking when Kindaichi had to bend slightly to accommodate Hanamaki.

“Since you three first-years are such good friends, you two should take Hinata to the bathroom. Make sure he doesn’t get lost or anything, okay?” Hanamaki suggested.

“I don’t even know where it is,” Kindaichi mumbled, eyeing Kunimi.

“Sure,” Kunimi sighed.  “Yuutarou-kun, Shoyou-kun, let’s go.”

“Okay,” Hinata croaked, clutching his stomach as the other two first years flanked him.  Kindaichi and Kunimi traded a glance as they looked at Hinata, whose face was pale and his hands shook slightly.

“Are you alright, Shouyou-kun?” Kindaichi questioned nervously.

“Fine,” Hinata nodded his head aggressively before lurching forward slightly.

“If you don’t feel good-”

“I feel fine!” Hinata pumped his fist in the air before clutching his stomach and doubling over.  “I… I’m _great_.”

“Are you sure?” Kunimi touched Hinata’s arm lightly.

“Yep!  This happens before every game!”

“What?!” Kunimi and Kindaichi chorused.   _Every game?  Then they would be dealing with this a lot more_ …

“Here we are, I think,” Kindaichi gestured toward the bathroom sign.  “I don’t know how we got here, but we did.”

“Monkeys and typewriters,” Kunimi muttered, much to the confusion of his friends. Hinata looked like he might ask what Kunimi meant, then gulped and bolted into the bathroom instead. No sooner had Hinata disappeared inside, however, then there was a terrified shriek from inside. Kindaichi’s eyes widened, and he took a step away from the bathroom door. Kunimi frowned at him, then seized Kindaichi’s wrist and dragged him into the bathroom after Hinata.

They found their friend staring up at a huge, white-haired boy who was staring blankly back at Hinata.   Kindaichi and Kunimi were nearly as surprised as Hinata, but didn’t vocally express their astonishment.

“Shouyou-kun,” Kunimi scolded.  “Just go to the bathroom, we have to go or we’ll be late!”

“R-right,” Hinata stuttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” a voice interrupted the trio. A smirking, brown-haired boy in the same school jersey as the white-haired one appeared and loomed over Hinata. “Aren’t you three from Aoba Johsai?” Hinata quaked and let out a tiny squeak instead of answering. The smirking one sighed dramatically and turned to Kindaichi. “Well?” Kindaichi, despite the fact that he was just as tall as the white-haired one, stayed silent. Kunimi nodded his head.

“We’re from Aoba Johsai, yes,” he said. “But since we’re in the bathroom, not on the court, I don’t see why that matters. Shouyou-kun, please go before you vomit everywhere.” The smirk vanished from the brunette’s face, and he stepped away from Hinata.

“Is he sick? If it’s contagious he shouldn’t be here, he’ll get other people sick,” he hissed. Kunimi hid a smile.

“It’s not. Though you might get your uniforms dirty if you don’t get out of the way and let him use the bathroom,” Kunimi mused. The brunette clicked his tongue in annoyance and stepped aside. Hinata scrambled for one of the stalls, and Kunimi nodded to himself in satisfaction.

“We’ll be playing your team in the second round, since I’m sure a 'powerhouse' like Seijou can handle a few flightless crows,” the brunette informed the two remaining first years. Kindaichi glanced at the white-haired one and sidestepped farther away from him.

“Don’t call us that, damn it!” someone growled. Kindaichi jumped and placed Kunimi between himself and the angry newcomer, a bald boy in black team gear.

“Who are you supposed to be?” the brunette asked, raising one eyebrow mockingly. “Don’t tell me, you’re one of those flightless crows?” The bald one snarled.

“I’m Tanaka Ryunosuke, wing spiker for Karasuno, and I’ll punch you if you call my team that again!” he snapped. Kindaichi’s eyes widened, and Kunimi sighed, while the brunette settled with a smug grin.

“But it’s true. I heard your ace and libero quit on you, and you’re so short on players that you had to change captains,” he sneered.

“Don’t talk like you know anything!” Tanaka shouted, clenching his fists and advancing on the brunette, whose smirk widened as he held his ground. A startled squeak made them both pause. Hinata had emerged from the stall and was staring between the brunette and Tanaka, quivering.

“I know enough,” the brunette taunted. “I know your ace got completely destroyed by us last year, and I know your setter can’t handle pressure.” Tanaka lunged forward and seized the front of the brunette’s shirt.

“Why, you-”

“Tanaka!” Another newcomer appeared seemingly from out of nowhere and jabbed Tanaka in the ribs so hard that he yelped and stumbled sideways, letting go of the brunette’s shirt. Hinata and Kindaichi let out small, terrified wails, and Kunimi even took a step back. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to forgive him,” the newcomer said, bowing so his silvery hair fell forward. “He’s just very excitable. We’ll be going now.” The silver-haired boy, who wore the same outfit as Tanaka, grabbed the back of Tanaka’s jacket and hauled him away, ignoring the bald boy’s protests.

“We should get back to the others,” Kindaichi said hastily, glancing nervously at the brunette and his white-haired companion.

“Of course. Can’t have the little first-years running around by themselves for too long,” the brunette agreed. “Something might...happen to them.” Kindaichi and Hinata gulped and scurried out of the bathroom, Kunimi trailing after them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Hinata has met a few of his soon-to-be opponents~   
> Stay tuned for the tournament, and leave us lots of comments!


	7. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Of course we're going to win."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well.... we apologize.
> 
> honestly we just got really busy (and with our other series' too) and... we're very sorry. Thank you all for sticking with us, your comments make our day honestly.
> 
> we hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oikawa’s eyes flickered across the court as he watched their opponent warm up.  Karasuno, donning their navy and orange, received balls and spiked them as they prepared for the match.  Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows in thought, trying to figure out what was different about them from last year.

“What is different…?” Oikawa mumbled to himself.

“Their captain, libero, and ace,” Iwaizumi immediately pointed out.  “They had that ace with the long hair last year and that little libero.  And I think their captain was number 2, the current libero.”  Oikawa looked at their libero, who was fairly tall for the defensive position, and his brain put the pieces together.  He faintly remembered shaking hands with him last year.

“I wonder what happened to their ace and libero?” Hanamaki asked, eavesdropping: he had a point.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi nodded his head.  “Those two positions are important.”

“Oh, their setter is still the same from last year,” Oikawa observed.  “Okay, everyone.”  Their captain spun around, clasping his hands together; the team turned their attention towards him.  “This won’t be our most difficult match, but we can’t underestimate them.  We have to go in with confidence and a strong mindset-”

“Wow,” Matsukawa’s eyes widened as if he had seen a three-horned goat.  “That’s _so_ interesting.”

“Yeah!” Hanamaki chipped in.  “Thank you, oh _thank you_ , Oikawa-san.”  Oikawa resisted the immense urge to roll his eyes, but Iwaizumi nudged them.

“Quiet, you two,” the ace scolded.  “He actually has something relatively important to say for once.”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined.  The other third years continued with their side conversation, and the rest of the players resumed watching the other team.  Oikawa had definitely gotten his point across, though, since they seemed a little more attentive to what was actually going on the court.  

“Isn’t that the wing spiker from the bathroom?” Kindaichi commented, gesturing towards the bald player as he leapt into the air, swinging at the ball.  The ball flew through the air before hitting the sideline and bouncing high into the air.

“He’s their best hitter,” Kunimi mused, glancing over at Hinata.

“Yeah,” Watari stood beside the first years.  “He hits pretty hard and has decent control.  Kindaichi, we’ll need your blocks to be sharp today!”

“Oh, um, of course!” Kindaichi nearly yelped.

Kunimi glanced over at Hinata, noticing his wide-eyes and thinly-pressed lips.  “Shoyou-kun?”

“Hm?  Yes?” Hinata answered hastily.

“You’ll do great,” Kunimi assured, resting a hand on Hinata’s shoulder gently.  Kindaichi nodded his head in agreement.

As he gazed upon the rest of his team, Oikawa’s eyes fell upon Hinata.  The little orange-haired boy was watching Karasuno with bright eyes that darted back and forth as he watched balls fly

through the air.

 _Oh, right.  He almost went there_ , Oikawa thought.   _Is he… having second thoughts_?

“Chibi-chan,” he sang, stepping towards Hinata.  The spiker didn’t turn to look at Oikawa, which worried him slightly.  “Chibi-chan?”

“Yes, Oikawa-senpai?” Hinata whipped around to face Oikawa.  He didn’t really have anything to say, as he just wanted to make sure Hinata was okay, so Oikawa would have to make something up.

“You’ll do great today,” Oikawa said, his lips tugging up at the corners.  Even though he just said the first thing that came to his mind, he was speaking the truth.

“Oh, um, thank you,” Hinata bowed slightly, before straightening back up.  His golden eyes shone with liveliness.  “We’re going to win today!”  Oikawa was taken aback by his enthusiasm and laughed.

“Of course we’re going to win,” Oikawa assured him, ruffling his kouhai’s hair.  Karasuno finished their warm up and Seijou, already having warmed up, made their way towards the end line.  Oikawa stood in the front, as the captain, followed by the rest of the team.  A surge of pride flared in his chest as he glanced down the line, the white and teal jerseys crisp and striking.

“Let’s play!” both teams shouted, the crowd cheering behind them.  Oikawa faintly heard the high-pitched squealing of girls behind him, but chose to ignore it, instead focusing on the other team as they took their positions. Hinata squeaked when he caught the gaze of Karasuno’s setter through the net.  He was also from the bathroom: the one who had jabbed his teammate in the ribs to make him behave.  The setter didn’t have the radiating confidence that Oikawa bore, but there was something about him that made Hinata feel wary.  The setter noticed Hinata’s gaze and smiled. Hinata jumped and backed away, grabbing the attention of his fellow first-years.  Before they could calm him down, the referee blew his whistle and they prepared to begin.

Hinata glanced over his shoulder, watching as Oikawa bounced the ball a few times, gaze fixed on their opponents with an eerie intensity. Hinata shivered; he’d glimpsed this side of Oikawa during practice, but this was a new level of focus.  The referee blew his whistle, a tingling sensation running up Hinata’s spine.  This was it.  His first official match with his team was about to begin.

“Nice serve, Oikawa!” Watari encouraged.  Makki clapped his hands before turning back towards the net.  Hinata turned his head, just enough that he could see Oikawa out of the corner of his eye, who held the ball out in front of him.  The setter threw the ball in the air and approached dynamically, leaping into the air as everything around him seemed to stop.  It was obvious that all eyes in the gym were on him, admiring his extraordinary serve.  His hand contacted the ball with a loud slap, and the ball flew over the net before Hinata could register it.  The ball met the floor, but not without Karasuno’s libero diving for the ball.

“ _Yes,_ Oikawa!” the team cheered.  The players on the court ran into the center of their side, the third years slapping Oikawa’s back as he grinned.  Oikawa jogged back to the serving line as the ball was bounced back to him, the referee blowing his whistle again.  The same thing happened twice more: Oikawa dramatically aced Karasuno, the rest of the Seijou players going berserk with the lead they were gaining.  Stepping back, Oikawa took a deep breath, preparing for his fourth serve.

“Oi, Shittykawa.” Iwaizumi’s voice cut through Oikawa’s concentration, and Oikawa’s eyes widened as his best friend stomped toward him, despite the warning whistle of the referee. “Tone it down a bit.  You don’t need to waste all your energy on your serves.” Oikawa’s lips turned down in a pout, and Hinata decided to pipe up.

“If they get it, we’ll just block them, right?” he pointed out. Iwaizumi nodded.

“Right. We’ll cover, so don’t wear yourself out on the first game,” Iwaizumi ordered. Oikawa shook his head.

“Iwa-chan, the referee is gonna get mad if you don’t get back to your spot,” Oikawa chirped, smile in place. Iwaizumi studied him for another moment, but then nodded and went to Hinata, patting the first year on the shoulder before returning to his own place.

Oikawa, with a resigned sigh, tossed the ball into the air and hit it, but with much less force than before.  Karasuno’s libero passed the ball fairly easy, to Oikawa’s annoyance, and the setter tossed the ball to Tanaka.  He hit the ball, but Mattsun managed to block the ball straight to the floor.

“Mattsun!” the team chorused.  With a lopsided grin, the middle blocker offered a thumbs as his teammates shoved his shoulders and ruffled his hair.  Oikawa watched as Hinata pumped his fists, smiling at his enthusiastic kouhai.

“Nice serve, Oikawa-senpai!” Hinata beamed.  “Nice block, Matsukawa-senpai!”  Suppressing a smug grin, Oikawa walked back to the service line and repeated his serve.  Not as powerful as his initial few, the ball flew over the net and towards the libero, who passed the ball with a shout.  The setter surprisingly tossed the ball back to Tanaka, who spiked the ball.  Watari dove and managed to receive the ball as Oikawa ran up to the net and tossed the ball.

“Chibi-chan!” Oikawa said, flicking his wrists, sending the ball through the air.  Hinata sprinted across the court and leapt into the air, arching his back slightly to bring his arm back farther.  The first year swung his hardest, but the ball landed a few feet away from the libero, enough to allow for him to dig the ball.  The silver-haired setter set their middle, a tall, bored-looking blond with glasses, who tipped the ball.  Hinata dove for the ball but missed, and Karasuno cheered from the other side of the net.  Hinata’s lips pulled to the side as he stood up, obviously upset with himself.

“It’s alright, Chibi-chan,” Oikawa assured him, grabbing his shoulder.

“Yeah, don’t worry!” Mattsun waved his hand nonchalantly.  “You’re just making the rest of us look good.”

“You’ll get the next one!” Kindaichi added.  Hinata nodded, a determined smile painted on his face.  Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi patted Hinata’s back, and definitely didn’t miss the look of awe that crossed Hinata’s expression.

“Hey, trust yourself and your setter,” Iwaizumi reminded.  “Shake it off, we’ll turn this around.”  Oikawa walked towards the net, content with the way Iwaizumi handled Hinata.   _Trust me, Hinata_ , Oikawa thought.   _I’ll give you the best toss._ Suddenly, Karasuno was serving, and Iwaizumi passed the ball to Oikawa, who set Makki and earned the team a point.  After a round of cheering, Mattsun jogged back and served the ball over the net.  The ball was returned to Seijou, and just as the ball contacted Oikawa’s hands, he decided to set Hinata again.   _We need to get him going early if we want to be successful_ …  Hinata soared through the air to hit the ball, but contacted it awkwardly, resulting in one of their wing spikers being able to pass the ball.  The setter tossed to a different wing spiker, but Kindaichi managed to leap up and block the ball.

“Yeah, Kindaichi!” Makki slapped the first-year’s back, who laughed sheepishly.  The rest of the team surrounded Kindaichi, but Oikawa couldn’t help but almost _feel_ Hinata’s frustration.  He was about to say something before Kindaichi beat him to it.

“Shoyou-kun, you got the next one!” Kindaichi encouraged.

“Third time’s a charm!” Watari grinned, but Hinata only nodded his head solemnly.

“Chibi-chan,” Oikawa sang.  Hinata’s head whipped around to the setter, who rested a hand on his shoulder and looked into his kouhai’s wide, worried eyes.  “I believe in you.  Now play like you always do.”

“Y-yes, Oikawa-senpai!” Hinata’s typical grin returned, and the players all resumed their respective places.  Mattsun served the ball again, and after Karasuno’s other middle blocker hit the ball, Iwaizumi received it.

“C’mon, Chibi-chan!” Oikawa set the ball to Hinata for the third time.  He couldn’t help the anxiety that twisted his stomach; if Hinata didn’t score this point -  or worse, if he made an error an error - he would most likely get pulled out.

Hinata’s aura was different, though, and Oikawa’s eyes were immediately drawn to the small wing spiker.  His eyes were narrowed determinedly, and his form was completely spot on.   _If this isn’t a perfect hit…_  Hinata’s hand contacted the ball, and both of their eyes widened as they watched the ball hit the floor of the other side, away from all the other players.  The team was silent for a moment, until the referee blew the whistle.

“CHIBI-CHAN!”

“Hinata!”

“Shoyou-kun!”

The team yelled Hinata’s various nicknames, running towards the center and cheering for the first year.  Mattsun accidentally shoved him too hard and he nearly fell onto the floor, but Oikawa managed to catch him.  Their cheering died down, only slightly, as they prepared for the next play.

“That was badass!” Makki exclaimed.  Hinata laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, and Oikawa felt relief flow through his body, and Iwaizumi caught his eye.  They traded a proud glance before they settled back into their positions, Hinata now rotated to the back row.

Hinata served the ball into the court, and one of Karasuno’s players received it fairly easily.  Oikawa didn’t miss the curse word that escaped Hinata’s lips and bit back a laugh (mid-play, come on), and nearly missed the block as their bald ace swung at the ball.  Oikawa managed to get a finger on the it but the ball flew behind him, and he whirled around in time to watch Hinata dive.  The ball hit his forearms and popped up into the middle of the court, where Oikawa squared up to toss the ball.   _Iwa-chan!_ He had no doubt as he set the ball, flicking his wrists towards Iwaizumi, who slammed the ball into the middle of the court.  The team cheered and praised Iwaizumi on his spike, as well as Hinata with his impressive receive.

The game continued, the score going back and forth for a little while until Seijou made a break and took the lead.  The score was 24-18, and Hinata was rotated back into the front row.  Oikawa watched as he took a deep breath before taking his stance, his eyes sharp with the edge of competition.

“Chibi-chan,” Oikawa hummed.  The wing-spiker whipped his head at the sound of his nickname, and Oikawa simply nodded.  Hinata tilted his head for a second before a grin sat itself on his lips.  Iwaizumi served the ball over the net, and Karasuno’s libero passed the ball to their setter.  He tossed to the tall blonde, who hit the ball right to Watari.  Hinata called for the ball, and Oikawa tossed it right to him.  High, off the net… _get this point, Chibi-chan_.

Hinata’s palm connected with the ball, sending it the back corner of the court and away from the rest of the players.  It hit the floor with a satisfying thud.  The team erupted into cheering and swarmed Hinata, slapping his back and cheering on the excited first year.  Pride surged through Oikawa’s chest as he looked at the wing spiker, who turned to him with sparkling - _literally -_ eyes.

“That was a perfect toss, Oikawa-senpai!” he exclaimed.

“Only the best for our star shorty,” Oikawa grinned, ruffling his hair. Iwaizumi flicked Oikawa’s ear, grinning at the setter’s indignant squawk. Oikawa glared at him, then turned his attention back to his teammates as they were switching sides, with Kindaichi slinging his arm around Hinata, the two of them pumping fists, and Kunimi with a small smile on his face.  Suddenly, Oikawa was nearly knocked over by the force of two hands on his back, and he whirled around to see Makki and Mattsun snickering.

“What was that for?” Oikawa hissed, pout sliding into place.

“You tell us,” Makki shrugged, Mattsun smirking before the two walked away.  Oikawa frowned, but his irritation didn’t last long when he looked back at his team, watching them all interact and prepare for the next set. Despite the lighthearted nature of the team, he knew they were all capable of playing some incredible volleyball; it made him feel _electric_ just thinking about it.

_Watch out, Ushiwaka.  We’re going to take you down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, you can't say we went 5 months without updating, because it was 4 months and 30 days. :)
> 
> on a serious note, we hope you enjoyed it! leave comments (seriously, they motivate the hell out of us) and we will work on getting the next chapter out *hopefully* soon!! <3
> 
> [and if you get bored we have other works ;) ]
> 
> thank you all!!
> 
> tumblrs:  
> @haikyuuliberos & @allmycharactersare-dead


	8. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you down there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, well hello everyone! 
> 
> okay honestly we have 0 excuse for why we haven't updated since, what, November?? We've been busy and such but i mean... long story short, we are VERY sorry. thanks for sticking with us and thanks for all the comments! they're super sweet and really motivate us to keep writing :)
> 
> happy valentines day! we hope this chapter makes your day extra-special :')
> 
> [this chapter is only partially edited so it might change over the next few days/weeks sorry!]

Hinata glanced over his shoulder as he watched Oikawa walk towards the back line of the volleyball court.  They had easily won the first point of the second set, and it was Seijou’s turn to serve.  Admiration filled Hinata’s chest as Oikawa’s intense aura rippled across the court: even against a weaker opponent, he took it seriously.  Hinata grinned and turned to face the net again, just as Matsukawa glanced at him.

“Watch your head,” the blocker advised.  With a nervous gulp, Hinata put his hands on his neck, shuddering at the thought of being pummeled in the back of the head by Oikawa’s serve.  His first serve was an ace, unsurprisingly, and the team cheered.  Hinata smiled with the rest of his teammates, catching Oikawa’s gaze.

“Great serve, Oikawa-senpai!” he shouted.  Oikawa grinned before grabbing the ball and jogging back to the end line.  He served a few more points in a row until Seijou was up 5-0; Karasuno managed to return the point, but after a receive from Iwaizumi kept the play alive.  Hinata ran backwards to he could approach to hit, silently urging Oikawa to set him.  Much to his satisfaction, Oikawa tossed the ball to Hinata, the perfect spot in the air.  Hinata leapt into the air, scanning the other side of the court before slamming his palm into the ball, watching as it-

-Slammed into the hands of a blocker before bouncing against the floor.  Hinata stiffened and looked at his palm before looking up at the successful blocker.  He was tall with blonde hair and glasses, along with the faintest trace of a smirk playing on his lips as he stared down condescendingly.

“Nice block, Tsukishima!” one of the Karasuno players yelled.   _ Tsukishima _ … Hinata grit his teeth as he stared at the back of the blocker’s head, but the blocker suddenly turned around as his lips curled up into a grin.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you down there,” the blocker said.  Hinata glared at the blonde before spinning around on his heel, watching Oikawa look on with a weird expression on his face.

“Don’t mind,” Iwaizumi called to Hinata.  Hinata nodded his head before turning back to the net and glaring at the middle blocker.  Their eyes were locked for a brief, tense moment, before the blocker averted his gaze.  A wave of nervousness rolled over Hinata, who swallowed nervously before focusing back on the next point.

The match continued on, and Hinata noticed that Oikawa was being more sparing with his tosses to him; the setter would stare at Hinata before flicking his wrists backwards or towards Iwaizumi, his ‘go-to,’ but Hinata was frustrated more than anything.  Not at Oikawa, of course, just at himself.  He wanted his teammates to trust him and trust that he would be able to score, but he knew he wasn’t capable at the moment with that blonde blocker on his tracks.

“Chibi-chan,” Oikawa snapped Hinata out of his daze.  He beckoned Hinata over, who jogged over and leaned towards the setter.  Oikawa leaned down and whispered in Hinata’s ear, his warm breath causing him to shiver.

“I’m not setting you this time around, but next time I will,” Oikawa promised.  “I’m just trying to distract them right now.  But remember-” the setter paused and straightened up, looking at Hinata confidently.  “-find the court.”

“Yes!” Hinata shouted, nodding his head aggressively.  He turned back to the net, his eyes immediately drawn towards their middle blocker - Tsukishima, right? - as he glanced down condescendingly.  They didn’t exchange any words, but competitive tension rippled through the air between them.  The ball came flying over the net, bringing Hinata back to the game, and Watari dove to keep the ball off the floor.  Hinata ran back to prepare for an approach, sure that the ball would go to Iwaizumi; to his surprise, Oikawa flicked his wrists and the ball flew into the air for Hinata.  High, off the net, and perfectly timed.

Hinata took off before springing into the air, finding himself head-on with Tsukishima as panic coursed through his body.  He wanted to slam the ball into the floor, he wanted to feel that satisfying contact against the palm of his hand, he wanted to  _ score _ .

The ball barely grazed Hinata’s fingers before making contact with the top of Tsukishima’s fingers, who let out a grunt of frustration as the ball danced behind his fingers and gently fell to the floor.  It wasn’t what Hinata ideally wanted, but it worked nonetheless.

“Nice spot, Hinata!” Iwaizumi called, jogging into the huddle before patting Hinata’s back.

“That was  _ totally  _ planned, right?” Makki teased.

“Y-yup!” Hinata stammered, convincing absolutely no one.

“It’s your serve now,” Mattsun handed the ball to Hinata and gave him a thumbs up as he walked back to the service line.  Hinata’s hands still trembled from his matchup with Tsukishima, and he knew he needed to refocus and at least keep the ball in play so his team could back him up and score a point.  The whistle blew, and Hinata tossed the ball into the air before slamming his palm into it.  With a satisfying clap, the ball flew through the air towards one of Karasuno’s weaker passers, who messed up the receive.  Watching on observantly, Hinata watched the ball fly from the setter’s hands towards their left side spiker, who obviously was trying to take advantage of Hinata being in the back row.

_ I won’t let him get away with it _ . Hinata grit his teeth as the ball raced towards the floor, and he stuck his arms out to stop it.  Fortunately, the ball bounced his arms and towards Oikawa, who set Iwaizumi to end the rally.  Hinata watched in awe for a moment as Iwaizumi slammed through Tsukishima’s hands, not even fazed by the middle blocker.  The team cheered and high-fived one another as Hinata beamed at Iwaizumi.

“You hit it like it was nothing!” he gasped.  Iwaizumi chuckled and put a hand on Hinata’s shoulder.

“It takes  _ years _ of practice and building strength to do that,” Iwaizumi explained.

“Yes, Iwa-chan’s been doing this for a long time,” Oikawa added, slyly grinning at the ace.  “He used to be really bad at that-”

“Go serve, Hinata,” Iwaizumi gently pushed the ball into Hinata’s hands as he turned around to murder Oikawa.

Hinata served another point before they lost the rally and the ball was given to Karasuno: they traded points back and forth a few times, each fighting equally hard and giving their all to keep their ball from touching the floor.  Back and forth, continuing on, up to 23-22, and the teams were starting to tire.  Hinata was rotated back to the front row, and even though it was his first full match, he was still going as strong as he was at the beginning of the match.  

“Oikawa-senpai!” Hinata turned to his setter, who was talking to Makki.  The setter turned around and the two traded an intense stare before the slightest hint of a grin touched Oikawa’s lips.  The two turned back to the net, ready to finish off the match.

Karasuno served the ball, and Makki received the ball right to Oikawa.  Hinata was  _ sure  _ that Oikawa would set him, and he began to take his approach.  Right as the ball was about to fly into the air, towards Hinata, it dropped over the net.  Karasuno’s libero missed the ball and all of Seijou turned to look at Oikawa.

“You bastard!” Mattsun ruffled Oikawa’s hair, and the latter’s mischievous grin was quickly replaced by an irritated pout.

“I thought that was going to Hinata  _ for sure _ !” Watari laughed.

“Me too!” Hinata gaped.

“Well, you better be ready,” Oikawa pointedly looked at Hinata; the look in his eyes was different this time, the playful softness of the brown replaced with a bright fire that sparked something inside of Hinata.

Hinata balled his hands into fists, declaring, “I’ve been ready this whole time!” 

Oikawa said nothing and turned away, leaving Hinata to stare at the number 1 on his back.  It was the set point of the match, and Hinata had only gotten a few tosses.  He was frustrated at himself, but he knew better than to ask Oikawa in the middle of a match.  Maybe there was a bigger reason why he wasn’t tossing to Hinata; was he… not good enough?

Hinata grit his teeth and turned back to the net as Mattsun served the ball, Hinata’s eyes darting back and forth to follow the ball’s path.  The setter tossed to their ace, who slammed the ball, but Iwaizumi was able to dig the ball high into the air.  Hinata transitioned away from the net, calling to Oikawa.

“Left!” he shouted, waving his arm.  Oikawa’s eyes flashed in Hinata’s direction, and moments later Hinata felt pride buzzing through his veins as the ball flew towards him.  Hinata took huge strides before jumping into the air, everything feeling as if it were in slow-motion.  He jumped as high as his body would allow him and peered over the net to see two pairs of hands splayed in front of him, along with the glare of the blonde middle blocker.

_ There _ , Hinata thought as he made contact with the ball, sending it into the back corner of the court.  Swinging with all his might, he watched as the ball flew into the floor, far away from any of the players.  Hinata landed lightly as the ref blew his whistle, and before Hinata could process it, his teammates were surrounding him and shoving him around.

“Chibi-chan!” Makki and Mattsun yelled, high-fiving him and slapping his back.  Iwaizumi ruffled his hair as Kindaichi and Kunimi ran over to cheer for Hinata, as an ecstatic beam covered his face.

“Alright!” he cheered, pumping his fists in the air.  His teammates all praised him before they began to jog back to the end of the court.

Hinata watched their white and teal backs as they moved away from him, and his chest felt so full of happiness and pride in himself and his team.  A hand touched his back gently and Hinata nearly jumped, turning to see Oikawa smiling at him.

“Nice kill,” the setter praised, his hand drifting from the small of Hinata’s back to his shoulder.  Hinata grinned wider, and nodded his head as the two took their place in line, shouting “Thank you for the match!” with the rest of their team.

After they lined up, Seijou walked to the bench and grabbed their belongings before heading towards the Sendai locker rooms to clean up a bit.  Hinata was still shaking from the adrenaline rush and looked down at his hand, still incredulous that he earned that last point.  He could practically feel the ball shooting away from his hand, minutes after it actually happened.  It was so incredible, the fact that  _ he actually did that _ , and it gave him some of his confidence back.

However, when he looked up, Hinata didn’t see a single of of his teammates.  Maybe he made made a wrong turn?  Hinata spun around to retrace his steps, only to bump into someone.

The person turned around slowly, and Hinata felt the blood drain from his face as his brown eyes met vivid blue.

“The king of the court!” Hinata sputtered, jumping back.  “It’s you!”  The player - he was  _ sure  _ his name was Kageyama - looked startled until a scowl darkened his features.

“What do you want?” Kageyama hissed.  He paused for a moment until realization dawned on him.  “You’re that player that we crushed last spring.”

“Well, not anymore!” Hinata argued.  “I’ve changed - I’ve improved, and our team is strong enough to defeat you.”

“Who could  _ you  _ possibly be playing with?”

“Aoba Jousai!”

“Aoba Jousai?” a deeper voice split the tension, and Hinata looked up - even  _ farther  _ up - to find himself face-to-face with a massive player.  Brown hair covered his forehead, and he had narrow hazel eyes, but why did he look so familiar?  “So you play with Oikawa-san.”

“Y-yes,” Hinata stammered.  The player said nothing, only nodding his head, and a third teammate popped over his shoulder.

“Wakatoshi-kun, who’s this?” the player asked.  He was definitely eccentric looking, with bright red hair sticking up and big eyes that trained in on Hinata; he felt as if he was being taken apart under his gaze.

“A player from Aoba Jousai,” ‘Wakatoshi-kun’ answered.  That name sounded familiar too, and Hinata pondered over the fact until-

“You’re Ushijima Wakatoshi!” Hinata blurted.

The player blinked before responding, “Yes, I am.”

“Yes, he  _ is _ !” the redhead exclaimed.  “He’s our ace and one of the best players in the nation, right Tobio-kun?”

“Yes,” Kageyama affirmed.

“Well, we’re going to defeat Shiratorizawa,” Hinata said, hoping his voice wasn’t as shaky as he felt.  “We’re-”

“Chibi-chan!” Oikawa’s unmistakable singing cut him off.  Hinata spun around to see Oikawa waving to him, then looking at the people behind him, and walking over slowly.  “I see you’ve met some friends, hmm?”

“Oikawa-san,” Ushijima greeted.  Kageyama averted his gaze, and the redhead offered a wide grin.

“If it isn’t Tooru-kun himself!”

“Nice to see you too, Tendou-kun,” Oikawa simmered.  His voice was even, but Hinata could tell that he was holding something back.  “And how could I forget Tobio-chan!  I forgot you went to Shiratorizawa!”

“Yes,” Kageyama grit his teeth.

“He  _ is _ our starting setter, too!” Tendou added.  Hinata failed at hiding his surprise, and even Oikawa seemed thrown-off.

“The strongest players are the ones that play on the court,” Ushijima said.  “Kageyama is a strong player on the team.”

“Any setter can toss to their ace, Ushiwaka,” Oikawa retorted.  “There’s no  _ talent  _ in that.”

“Oikawa-senpai-”

“You were offered that choice too, Oikawa,” Ushijima replied.

Oikawa scoffed, “And I’m  _ glad  _ I didn’t take it.”

“Things are getting heated!” Tendou giggled, leaning forward as he watched the scene unfold.

“We’re-”

“Oikawa, Hinata!” Iwaizumi walked over to the two Seijou players.  He glanced at the Shiratorizawa players, before putting two-and-two together, and nudged Hinata and Oikawa on the back.  “Good to see you, Ushijima, Tendou, Kageyama, but we need to get  _ going _ .”  He tugged on Hinata and Oikawa’s jackets until the two began following him obediently; Hinata still felt frustration radiating off of Oikawa, who was looking straightforward with a dirty frown.

“Oikawa-senpai,” Hinata tentatively started.  “What did he mean-”

“Oh, look at that!  We’re playing Dateko next,” Oikawa interrupted.  Iwaizumi’s head whipped around as he watched Oikawa, and the two of them stopped walking as Oikawa continued on ahead to talk to Makki and Mattsun.

“He has a dislike for Ushijima and all of Shiratorizawa,” Iwaizumi explained.  “And Kageyama, so now that he’s there… when we play them, it’s definitely going to be an interesting match.”

“We’ll beat them for sure,” Hinata murmured.  Iwaizumi traded a glance with him before smiling, satisfied, and walked on ahead of Hinata.

“Let’s beat Dateko first, eh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! comments/kudos are like candy for us xx
> 
> tumblrs: @haikyuuliberos & @all-my-characters-are-dead
> 
> (feel free to talk with us about Summer Leaves!)


	9. Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The small player looked ready to play defense, even though the last time Kageyama watched him it was horrendous. Despite that, he was standing on the court - so he had to have improved, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait!!! life has been absolutely hectic for both of us, thank you for your kind comments and patience. <3
> 
> also, even though this is super abrupt, we have finally finalized the number of chapters and ... yes, this is the second to last chapter. we're sorry it's very abrupt but there were some changes to the plot.
> 
> we hope you enjoy!

“Ushijima-san!” Kageyama flicked his wrists behind him before spinning around to watch Ushijima slam the ball into the floor on the opposite side.  Even with three blockers set up, Shiratorizawa’s ace handled them easily - he made it look completely natural - and they scored yet another point.  After easily beating the other team 25-10 in the first set, they were looking to keep their streak going while the current score was 16-6.

“Kageyama!” Coach Washijou called.  Kageyama turned around and watched the coach wave him over as Semi jogged up to the line to substitute.  Bewildered, Kageyama nodded his head and walked over as his teammates pat his back, praising him for a good job.

“Washijou just wants you to rest,” Semi explained.  “Good job.”  The third year ruffled Kageyama’s hair before running out onto the court, leaving Kageyama to stare at Washijou.   _ Why was he taken off the court?!  He did nothing wrong! _

“You should conserve your energy,” Washijou said.  “There’s nothing wrong with going all-out, but you can’t burn out 2 sets in.  Remember this when we play 5-set matches.”

“Yes,” Kageyama nodded his head curtly before walking to the end of the line.  Kawanishi high-fived Kageyama, while Shirabu settled with a glare.  The two made tense eye contact before breaking away, not exchanging a single word.

“Oi, Kageyama,” Kawanishi turned to him.  “Next set, could you push it a little closer to my shoulder?”

“Yes,” Kageyama replied.  He closed his eyes to visualize it, splaying his fingers and pushing forward to shoot the ball to Kawanishi.  When he opened his eyes, he found Shirabu staring at him.

“Why did he choose Semi?” Shirabu demanded.  

Kageyama tensed slightly before responding, “I was doing perfectly fine, so I don’t see why I was taken out in the first place.”

“You two are so-”

“Shirabu,” Kawanishi cut him off.  He didn’t say anything further, but the two setters stopped bickering and watched the match continue.  Semi was back to serve and quickly ended the match with a few aces, and the teams lined up to give thanks for the match.  Kageyama moved away from Shirabu, unnerved by the other setter’s aggression towards him; he understood that there were benefits to competitive rivalry, but Shirabu’s attitude was more bitter than some friendly competition.

“Nice tosses, Tobio-kun,” Tendou slapped his shoulder.  “You look sharper and sharper every time you play!”

“Thank you,” Kageyama mumbled, still slightly unsure on how to accept praise.  Shiratorizawa had quickly won the set after Semi’s serving streak, leaving the score to be 25-8.

Semi walked over and chuckled, “Don’t be shy about it!  You did a great job out there and you will when we play again.”

“Who  _ do  _ we play next?” Tendou questioned.  The team only had to play two matches before getting to the finals, thanks to their successful last season, and had just finished their second match.

“One of the two from the semi-finals,” Ushijima gestured to another court.  “Either Datekougyou or Aoba Johsai.”

“Dateko or Seijou?!” Goshiki whipped his head around.  “They’re two powerhouses!”

“We are too, y’know,” Semi grumbled.

“Let’s go watch!” Tendou managed to grab Semi, Kageyama,  _ and  _ Goshiki, dragging the three of them through the facility so they could watch the match from the second level.  Out of breath and disheveled, the group peered over the railing to watch the match.  Dateko was winning 23-22, but a kill from Seijou’s ace soon evened the score.

“I wonder who won the first set,” Semi remarked.  Both teams were sweating profusely and breathing heavily, and Kageyama watched with narrow eyes as he focused in on the mess of orange hair on Seijou’s side.

The small player looked ready to play defense, even though the last time Kageyama watched him it was horrendous.  Despite that, he  _ was  _ standing on the court - so he had to have improved, right?  Kageyama leaned forward as Goshiki glanced at him.

“Kageyama, you’re gonna fall over!” his fellow first year said.

“Don’t worry, Tsutomu-kun,” Tendou pat Goshiki’s back.  “We won’t let that happen!”  Kageyama continued to survey the match before him, until a figure appeared next to him; Ushijima watched Kageyama before motioning towards the court.

“Neither of these teams should be taken lightly,” he said.  “But they won’t be anything we can’t handle.”  Kageyama simply nodded his head - Dateko scored a point off of blocking Seijou’s right wing spiker, who glared up at the blockers.

“Aoba Jousai won the first,” Ushijima stated to nobody in particular.

“Interesting,” Semi mused.  In one point, Dateko ended up taking the second set as they got a kill, but not without the orange-haired kid impressively diving towards the ball in an attempt to save it.

“Do you know that kid?” Tendou leaned over Kageyama’s shoulder and pointed towards the kid.

“Not personally,” Kageyama muttered.  “We just played a match against each other in middle school, and I - er,  _ we _ \- crushed his team.  Then he said he would beat me one day.”

“That’s so cool!” Goshiki exclaimed, his eyes practically shining with envy.  “I want a rival like that!”

“That  _ is  _ pretty badass,” Tendou agreed, flinging his arm in front of him.  “Kageyama Tobio-kun versus mysterious, small orange-haired-kun!”

“I’m surprised he’s playing,” Semi redirected the conversation.  “He’s smaller than their libero and yet, he’s standing on the court.”

“He’s…” Kageyama trailed off, trying to process how he wanted to put it into words.  “Interesting.”

When the third set began, the boy was starting in the front row; Kageyama wondered how many times he had been blocked by Dateko, considering they had the highest blocking percentage in the prefecture and one of the best in all of Japan.  The match started off with Oikawa serving - always a chilling experience, which Kageyama found himself mentally copying the motions - and Seijou ended up winning the first point off an ace.  The second point, Dateko almost scored the point off a spike, but Seijou managed to get the ball up and set orange-hair-kun.  

“He’ll probably get blocked,” Tendou guessed, leaning against the railing.  To everyone’s surprise, the boy hit the ball against the tips of the blockers’ fingers, sending the ball flying out of bounds - but nevermind  _ that _ , since the rest of Kageyama’s teammates were astounded by the way the player leapt into the air.  Even after 2 full sets of playing, this kid was  _ flying _ .

“Did he just…” Semi trailed off.

“H-He jumps  _ so _ high!” Goshiki sputtered.  Tendou was making incoherent sounds, while Ushijima looked on with raised eyebrows and a spark of interest.  Seijou was cheering loudly as they rotated, putting the small player in the back row.

“He only got to hit once before rotating out,” Semi observed.  “They’re probably going to want to score as many points with their ace as possible.”

“Oikawa-san doesn’t toss like that,” Kageyama shook his head.  “While he will set Iwaizumi whenever he feels threatened, he doesn’t like to rely on one player.”

“Do you know Oikawa?” Ushijima questioned.

“...Unfortunately,” Kageyama curtly replied.

“He is an admirable setter,” Ushijima continued.  “He-”

“He’s a good setter but has a terrible personality,” Kageyama cut him off.  Semi and Tendou’s faces morphed into surprise as Kageyama interrupted their ace, and Goshiki’s jaw dropped.  “I admire his skills on the court but besides that, there is not much to look up to.”  Ushijima remained silent as his eyes burned into Kageyama, but turned his attention back to the match.

Semi perked up, “Oh, yeah, you used to go to Kitagawa Daiichi… didn’t he go there, too?”

“Yes.”  Kageyama’s head whipped around to Semi, and he hoped that Semi didn’t prod any further.  Thankfully, Semi studied Kageyama’s expression before turning away silently.

“I wonder how Chibi-kun’s defense is, especially against Dateko.  They’re not just good at blocking, they have a decent offense, too,” Semi changed the subject.

“Mhm,” Tendou hummed.  Right as the words left Semi’s lips, Dateko’s ace spiked a ball into the back corner of the court, forcing the small player to launch himself towards it.  Even though his wrist touched the ball, it still flew out of bounds; it was impressive enough that he even got a hand on the ball.

“He’s fast,” Goshiki remarked.

“Pretty naturally athletic besides his small stature,” Ushijima added.  They continued to watch the set as Seijou and Dateko traded points back and forth, finally drawing closer to the 15-point mark.

“So, Wakatoshi,” Tendou turned to the younger player.  “Who do  _ you  _ want to win?”

“I have no preference,” Ushijima said.  “Whichever team is stronger will win, and we will beat them.”  Kageyama opened his mouth to reply - he'd like to face and crush the orange-haired player again - when a deathly silence fell over the arena.

“Huh?” Goshiki narrowed his eyes.  Kageyama followed Goshiki’s gaze towards Seijou’s court, his stomach violently twisting at the sight before him.

Oikawa Tooru laying on the floor, clutching his leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...sorry not sorry.


	10. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all! PLEASE READ THIS!
> 
> i know it's been... a while / shoves self into a drawer after realizing it's been 3 months / and i apologize for the wait. we had some changes and such going on, and then we got busy with final exams and such... we are so so sorry for the delay. thank you for your patience and your kind words!
> 
> so yes, this is it: the last chapter. this has been a pretty wild ride, what a fic! and we couldn't have done it without you guys. all your fantastic comments - we LOVE reading your comments - and even kudos and reblogging (on tumblr) and everything. thank you all for a wonderful experience. 
> 
> for me (haikyuuliberos), this is my first COMPLETED multi-chapter fic so this is a milestone! thank you all again, we love you guys so so much.
> 
> for the chapter... let me just say this: it's not necessarily 'happy,' but i hope it's at least 'satisfying'
> 
> also this was like half beta'd so sorry lmao
> 
> enjoy xx

It was Oikawa’s turn to serve again, and Hinata was focused on the players on the other side of the net. Well, at least he was  _ trying _ to focus. It was distracting to have Oikawa playing behind him; he kept wanting to turn to watch the captain serve. Giving in to the temptation - really, the other team wasn’t going to be able to pick it up anyway - Hinata glanced over his shoulder to watch. Oikawa noticed and shook his head, glancing warningly in Iwaizumi’s direction. Hinata shot a glance toward the ace, and he missed the toss. When he looked back at Oikawa - after reassuring himself Iwaizumi hadn’t noticed where Hinata’s attention was - he saw the ball already in the air. 

Hinata frowned; the ball was too far to the side, wasn’t it? That wasn’t like Oikawa; usually his tosses were spot on, even when he was just getting the ball in the air for a serve. Oikawa’s lips quirked downward, displeased with his throw, but he started forward anyway. As he launched himself into the air - Hinata’s eyes followed the curve of Oikawa’s body as his back arched, gathering power for the hit - Oikawa twisted, reaching for the ball. 

It hit his hand differently, but still looked like it was going over the net. Hinata turned his attention back to their opponents, anticipating the sound of Oikawa’s landing and probably the sound of the ball slamming into the court on the other side of the net. 

Instead of the pair of sure footed steps Hinata was used to hearing after Oikawa’s serve, there was one odd step, followed by the sound of something much larger than one foot hitting the floor. The ball was headed right for Dateko’s libero. Hinata shouldn’t look away, he should be ready. 

He risked a glance over his shoulder anyway.    

A strangled gasp escaped his throat as what he was seeing registered, and the blood froze in his veins. Oikawa was on the ground, crumpled, silent. He wasn’t moving. 

“Tooru!” Iwaizumi’s rough voice broke through the strained silence of the arena.  The ace sprinted over to Oikawa before the rest of the team could even process what happened, and Hinata felt his legs carrying him over to their setter.  Iwaizumi gently rolled Oikawa onto his back, holding onto him as a scream tore itself from Oikawa’s lips, hastily stifled as Iwaizumi curled around him and Oikawa buried his face in Iwaizumi’s shoulder.  Quickly, Irihata rushed over to Oikawa, along with the referees and the medic on stand-by.  Hinata was frozen in shock and fear as he stared at Oikawa, who began breaking apart right in front of the team.  Their captain, their stable pillar of the team who brought them strength and confidence, lay utterly broken in Iwaizumi’s arms before them.

“Hinata,” Watari gently pulled Hinata away.  “Hey-”

“No,” Hinata rasped, his voice starting out barely audible, but rising to a shout as he cried,  “No, Oikawa-”

"Hinata, you have to calm down," Watari insisted, resting his hand on Hinata's arm in an attempt to distract him. Hinata shot him a look of pure venom as he pulled away.    
"Calm? How can I be calm? How are you calm?!" Hinata snapped, glaring at the libero, only for his attention to be snatched away by another cry from Oikawa, again muffled in Iwaizumi’s shoulder. Hinata bit his lip, his fingers curling into fists involuntarily. “How is anyone…” Hinata trailed off, lifting one fist to scrub tears away from his eyes. 

“Because we have to be,” Watari replied softly, sighing and reaching to rub comforting circles into Hinata’s back. “Because if we freak out right now, Oikawa’s going to have to be the strong one, and you know he’ll lock everything away. So we have to be strong for him right now, okay?” Hinata sniffled, then rubbed at his eyes again one more time before bringing his hands down to his sides. He lifted his chin, straightened, his shoulders, and marched up to the cluster of people around Oikawa.

“I can get his stuff from the locker room,” Hinata offered, his voice shaking no matter how hard he tried to keep it steady. 

“No.” The word was quiet, almost inaudible, but in the silence that followed, the second was easier to hear. “No, Chibi-chan. Hinata, you guys have to keep playing.” Hinata’s eyes flew wide.

“But-” 

Oikawa’s eyes flashed as the medics lifted him to his uninjured leg, making sure he kept the injured one off the ground, and Hinata fell silent. His lips were pulled into a pained grimace, but his eyes were steady as they pinned Hinata in place. 

“We’re not giving up,” Oikawa insisted. His voice softened as he added,  _ “You _ aren’t allowed to give up...okay?” Hinata swallowed hard and nodded, his gaze dropping to the floor. Oikawa’s fingers curled around Hinata’s wrist - one of the medics and both coaches swore and scrambled to support Oikawa, who was  _ supposed to be holding onto them  _ \- and Hinata stared at those slender, calloused fingers gripping his wrist, knuckles white as he tightened his grip, trying to focus through his agony. Oikawa leaned forward - more swearing from the adults trying to get him medical attention - and breathed against Hinata’s ear, “Win this for me, okay, Shouyou?” 

Hinata covered Oikawa’s hand with his own and looked into the captain’s eyes. 

“We will,” he promised. Because they would… or at least they’d try. But as Oikawa was half carried away by the medics, Hinata glanced around at his teammates. Yahaba was so pale Hinata was afraid he might pass out. Watari looked grim, and even Matsukawa and Hanamaki were silent. Iwaizumi’s nails were digging into his palms so hard as he watched Oikawa leave that they would start bleeding any second. Kindaichi looked nauseated, and even Kunimi’s usually sleepy, blank expression was solemn and worried. 

Even if they won this match, Hinata knew they wouldn’t be able to continue without their captain. 

 

* * *

 

Hinata’s eyes lazily stared at the TV in the room, the screen cutting to different players as the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers.

“ _ Datekougyou slips through the fifth set, causing a huge upset in the Interhigh Tournament and securing their position for Nationals _ !” the announcer said.  “ _ What an incredible season of volleyball from these high schoolers _ !”

“Ahh,” Mattsun groaned from his spot on the floor.  “If I had to choose one of them to win, at least it was Dateko…”

“Yeah,” Yahaba agreed half-heartedly.  Hinata tunes out the rest of the team’s shallow conversation, looking at Oikawa.  He sat in the hospital bed, his hair messier than usual, with Iwaizumi right by his side, protectively hovering over him.

“I wish we could go back in time,” Makki mused.

“We can’t focus on the past,” Watari quietly said.

Hinata couldn’t focus on their conversation; the words slipped in and out of his ears but didn’t actually resonate within him, and he found himself watching Oikawa.  The way he chewed his lip anxiously, the way he twisted his fingers were all Hinata could see.  What worried Hinata the most, though, was Oikawa’s eyes.  The usually bright, fiery brown of is eyes was dull with exhaustion - and red, obviously from crying.  To see his captain-  his setter,  _ his idol _ \- hurting physically and emotionally was like a dagger to Hinata’s chest, and he forced himself to look away.

Oikawa’s volleyball career was over.  Iwaizumi had officially told the team earlier that day, but Hinata had internally known at the first moment of the incident.  It was tragic to see this incredible setter, one of the best in the entire of Japan, have his career snatched away from him because of a miniscule error.  It was both heartbreaking and utterly terrifying at the same time.

“Shoyou-kun,” Kunimi softly said.  “We’re giving Oikawa-san some space.”

“Oh,” Hinata nodded, standing up and following the group.

“Shoyou,” Oikawa’s voice stopped Hinata in his tracks.  “I want to talk to you.”

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi said.  “You need to rest.”

“Oh, Iwa-chan, I will,” Oikawa waved his hand dismissively.  “ _ After _ .”

“Then-”

“In private… please.”  

Iwaizumi’s gaze narrowed before he sighed, walking towards the door.  He gripped Hinata’s shoulder for a second, and Hinata instinctively knew what Iwaizumi meant.  ‘ _ Be strong for him _ .’  Nervously swallowing, Hinata closed the door and walked over to Oikawa’s bed, sitting in the seat next to him.  Hinata keeps his eyes trained on the floor, too afraid to look at Oikawa.

Oikawa exhaled, “Shoyou, please look at me.”

Gritting his teeth, Hinata looked up at Oikawa and met his gaze.  The setter ran a hand through his disheveled hair, frowning slightly.

“I’m sorry,” Oikawa murmured.

“You’re  _ sorry _ ?” Hinata replied.  “Why are you  _ sorry _ , Oikawa-senpai?  You didn’t do-”

“I-”

“You didn’t do anything wrong!” Hinata interrupted, feeling a lump in the back of his throat.  “It just happened, okay?  You didn’t mean any of this, you didn’t want any of this, and it’s so… so unfair!  It’s so unfair that this happened to  _ you _ of all people, and I’m just really upset that it couldn’t have been - couldn’t have been  _ me _ -”

“You?” Oikawa said.  “I’m upset, too, but I’d rather it be me than you.”

“Why?” Hinata shouted, tears starting to race down his cheeks.  “Why would you rather you than me?!  You’re so talented and intense and  _ amazing  _ and had everything going for you, while I just… have nothing!  It’s so unfair!”  Oikawa stared at Hinata for a few moments, watching as he balled his fists and cried into his t-shirt.  A hand reached out to Hinata’s cheek, brushing the tears away as the latter sniffled.

“I’m sorry!” Hinata cried.  “I’m sorry!”

“It was… out of our control, unfortunately,” Oikawa bitterly said, pressing his thumb to Hinata’s cheekbone.  “I know it’s awful and I feel all of that too, Hinata.  I definitely feel as frustrated as you… probably more.  I feel bad for letting the team down, missing our chance and leaving our dream behind…”

“We were going to play, you know,” Hinata sniffled.  He felt a little warm with Oikawa’s hand still resting on his cheek, but it was oddly comforting.  “We were going to play in the finals.  But Iwaizumi-senpai and Makki-senpai and Mattsun-senpai refused to play… they didn’t want to go on without you.”  Oikawa’s eyes widened before he turned away, gritting his teeth.

“Dammit… dammit all,” Oikawa hissed.  His eyes were beginning to redden again, and Hinata grabbed the hand against his cheek and squeezed it.

“You’re my idol, Oikawa-senpai,” Hinata whispered.  “Your serves are so amazing and ‘bwah’ and ‘boom’!  And I want to be like that… I want to be able to serve like you.  I want to be as confident as you and lead the team like you do.  I wanted to keep growing with you.”

“You will,” Oikawa said, wiping his eyes.  “Keep growing, that is.  Keep growing -  _ for me _ at least.”

“I will!” Hinata vowed.  He suddenly threw his arms around Oikawa, who reciprocated the embrace; Hinata wanted to stay strong for Oikawa and act as a support for the setter, but the moment he touched Oikawa, he began crying harder than before.  Oikawa pulled him close - as close as he could without hurting his leg - and Hinata felt Oikawa’s tears dripping onto him.

“It’ll work out,” Oikawa managed to say.  “It will all work out.”

 

* * *

 

“It will all work out,” Reon offered to the group.  They had just gotten back from Sendai gymnasium, where they had just lost.  Shiratorizawa, the almighty powerhouse of the Miyagi Prefecture, had lost.

The words barely registered in Kageyama’s head, as he leaned against his locker.  He wanted to go back and fix his errors - the missed serves, the microscopic errors with his setting -  _ everything _ .  

The worst part was that Kageyama was unsure of how they lost.  Dateko’s defense appeared out of nowhere in the second set, and they had trouble dealing with it for the rest of the match.  But that didn’t mean that it was a complete slaughter.  They still could’ve won - no,  _ should’ve _ won.

_ 23-21.  23-21. _  The score of the fifth set kept replaying in Kageyama’s head, tantalizing and daring.  Kageyama wanted to reach out and grab it, but it would only be snatched from his fingertips.

Kageyama was not a crier.  He never had been, and never would be, probably.  Kageyama wasn’t one to show too much emotion, and he knew that.  But for some reason, his throat felt painfully dry and he couldn’t speak.

“There’s always the spring,” Tendou added optimistically.  “You’ve gotta admit, that was a pretty damn fun match.”  Nobody said anything, simply cleaning up their lockers and shuffling around.  Soreness dotted Kageyama’s joints from playing so extensively, and he slammed his locker shut in frustration.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  The rest of the team stared at Kageyama with bewilderment, but Kageyama rushed out of the locker room, his bag in tow, and began making his way down to the sidewalk to head back home.  He ducked his head and sped down the path, wanting to desperately lock himself in his room and toss his volleyball around.  How could Kageyama afford to make mistakes back in the match against Dateko?  He needed to improve, to bring the rest of the team with him-   
“Kageyama!” a voice yelled.  Kageyama barely glanced over his shoulder, only to find Semi running after him.  The third year slowed down as he reached Kageyama, breathing heavily.  “Kageyama.”   
“What?” Kageyama snapped, his tone sharper than intended.

“You’re not alone,” Semi breathlessly said.  “Okay?  I know you’re frustrated and upset, and we all are, but just… don’t overthink everything.  You played incredibly-”

“My tosses were off,” Kageyama interrupted.  “I missed 3 serves.  I-”

“We all had errors,” Semi reminded.  “Even Ushijima had errors.  It was a good match, and we weren’t even playing to our full potential as a team.  We’re all frustrated, but we’re going to use this to improve even further.”  They stood in silence and stared at each other, Kageyama processing his senpai’s words.

“Okay,” he breathed.  “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Semi snorted, slapping his back.  “Why don’t you wait for Goshiki?  I’m sure he doesn’t want to walk home completely alone.”  Kageyama nodded as Semi continued on, waving back to Kageyama.  “We’ll get ‘em in the spring.” 

Kageyama watched Semi’s silhouette disappear in the distance until the sound of feet alerted him of Goshiki’s presence.  Goshiki was looking at the ground, kicking a rock as he walked down the path.

“Um,” Kageyama cleared his throat.  “I figured you’d still want to walk home together… like normal.”  Goshiki’s expression brightened slightly, like the glimpse of the sun on a cloudy day.

“Yeah,” Goshiki said.  “Thanks.”  They walked in quiet, their feet in sync for most of the time, crossing roads and kicking rocks along the road until they neared the country roads farther away from the center of town.  Their silence wasn’t uncomfortable - it was pensive silence, and no words were needed.

“How is Ushijima-san taking all of this?” Kageyama broke the silence, right before their paths split.

“I think he’s okay,” Goshiki replied.  “He isn’t used to losing, I think, so this came as a shock… but I think it’s going to push the team for the better, right?”

“Me too,” Kageyama agreed, remembering Semi’s words.  

“I can’t believe we still made it to the finals of our first Interhigh tournament,” Goshiki said.  “It would’ve been nice to go to Nationals, but for our first year, that’s good.”

“Yeah.”

“I still want to take our senpai to Nationals, though,” Goshiki continued.  “They deserve it.”

“Yeah,” Kageyama repeated.   _ Yes _ , he wanted to go to Nationals, to play in that huge arena and fight against teams from all around the country.  He wanted to go with  _ Shiratorizawa  _ \- with Ushijima and Goshiki, Semi and Tendou, Yamagata and Kawanishi… even Shirabu.  He wanted to go with  _ them _ .  “I want to keep playing with them.”

“Our senpais?” Goshiki asked, before a soft smile crossed his countenance.  “Me too.”  The two first years split off, about to start on their separate paths towards their houses.

Kageyama awkwardly waved, “See you around.”  He made his way down the path towards his house, looking at the dark sky above him.

“Kageyama!” Goshiki called, causing Kageyama to turn around.  “I’m glad we’re friends!”

_ Friends _ ?

“I’m glad we’re friends, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone. we love you guys to infinity.
> 
> (comment maybe?)
> 
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